Lost Souls
by Spudzmom
Summary: She was his only way back to life and love, the only questions being which love he would choose and would it be in time?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**A/N: Alternate Universe. Happy reading!  
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**~o0o~**

The walls of the old house creaked and moaned as the storm raged outside, causing goosebumps to rise on Bella's skin as she toured her new digs, an uneasy feeling filling her as the lights flickered and thunder crashed.

"God, what a day you picked to move in Bella." She murmured to herself as she peeked behind a partially open door into what looked to be the study. She walked in fully, flipping the light switch a couple of times with no results before shrugging lightly and continuing on, walking to the shelves to peruse the titles by flashlight.

She jumped and almost shrieked when lightning flashed and thunder cracked right outside the window next to her, her hand clutching to her chest as she struggled to calm her racing heart and ragged breaths. "Jesus… I really should have done this during the day."

When she'd calmed, she turned and left the study, deciding to leave the bulk of her explorations for the more inviting light of day. What she needed to find now was a decent bedroom and bathroom. The rest could wait until later.

She climbed the staircase, just now realizing how bone weary she really was. She had driven all the way here from Washington State, with minimal stops for rest and food as she'd just wanted to escape the place that had been so unkind to her since she'd moved there at the age of seventeen.

She'd fallen in love there for the first time and had her heart shattered mere months later. After that, she'd been hunted by a ruthless and vengeful female vampire intent on killing her and Charlie for the death of her mate. She just thanked whatever deity responsible, for protecting her and Charlie and allowing the wolves to finally catch and kill the bitch.

_Charlie._

Her heart clenched painfully at just the thought of him. To have unknowingly survived a vicious, vengeful vampire being after him, only to succumb to the gunshot of a common human criminal.

She swiped at an errant tear as she reached the second floor, the pain of his loss still fresh in her heart and mind.

They'd eventually become very close after Edward had left her, Charlie's unending love and support seeing her through her darkest days and back to the light of life, such as it ever could be in dreary Forks, WA.

He'd been her rock, recognizing in her the pain he'd dealt with himself when Renée had left him all those years ago, taking his only child with her.

After dealing with such an ordeal herself, Bella was much better equipped to understand just what it was Charlie had gone through and her love and respect for him had increased exponentially while her scorn for her selfish mother had grown to such proportions that they never spoke any more. She just couldn't stomach her mother's penchant for talking about herself and her wants and needs constantly. What was the point? She didn't see one, so she quit and instead of being bothered by it, she'd felt freed, as if a weight she hadn't known she carried had been lifted.

She flipped on the lights at the top of the stairs and looked down the long hallways that branched away from where she stood, taking the one to her right with a shrug of indifference. One seemed as good as the other, and this one seemed as though the bedrooms would face the street side of the house. Much better to keep an eye on what's coming, or so the thought occurred to her anyway and so she began opening doors.

The first was filled with boxes and she nodded to herself. So that's where the movers had put them. She'd wondered when she'd first entered the house and hadn't seen her things from Charlie's house anywhere.

She struck gold with the third door she opened. Flipping the light switch illuminated what seemed to be the master bedroom, complete with a huge attached bath. It was perfect so she set about removing the dust covers from the furniture, including the massive, four-poster bed that was, thankfully, made up with bedding that looked to be clean. At any rate, she was way too tired to worry with anything but falling into bed and finally getting some solid sleep.

Hurrying back down stairs, she grabbed her suitcase she'd left in the foyer and made her way back up.

Entering the bathroom to change and get ready for bed, she quickly slipped into an old pair of Forks High sweat pants and one of Charlie's t-shirts.

Grabbing the flashlight she'd left on the dresser, she flipped off the main light and climbed into the huge bed, setting the flashlight on the night stand.

She huddled under the blankets just as lightning flashed, the eerie shadows it cast throughout the room punctuated moments later by the loud crack and boom of thunder.

She blinked, curling up into a tighter ball with a shiver of unease, murmuring to herself. "Welcome to Mystic Falls Bella. Seems the place is happy to have you.", her eyelids finally growing too heavy to keep open as she drifted into the dreamless sleep of the weary.

She was up early the next day despite having felt as though she could have slept for a week straight. Something had woken her… a feeling, a heaviness, as if eyes were upon her, but when she had looked around the room, she'd been completely alone.

Sitting up with a shudder of unease, she wrote the feeling off to the dreariness of her great aunt's old house and her overactive imagination. "Shit Bella, pull yourself together. You've faced vampires out to kill you for fucks sake. It's just an old house."

With that, she got up and went into the bathroom, turning on the shower, finally giving a sigh of relief when the water ran warm. Seems the home inspector she'd hired had done his job in readying the house for occupancy. Well, with the exception of some of the lights, that is. She'd have to go pick up some bulbs when she went shopping later.

Stripping quickly, she stepped under the spray, her thoughts going immediately to her future as she began to wash.

At this point, she hadn't thought much beyond getting the hell out of Forks. That had been her priority. It was just too painful to stay there. Too many memories haunted her there, the weight of them almost smothering in intensity. She'd been more than happy when Charlie's house had finally sold.

With the money from that, combined with the double indemnity clause of Charlie's life insurance policy, she was now quite well off. She wouldn't have to work unless she wanted to and that was a relief. She really didn't want to have to deal with people.

After Edward had left her, she'd pretty much retreated from all unnecessary contact with anyone; the less she had, the better she felt, and so moving here to the old house she'd inherited from her great aunt had been an easy decision to make. It was quite a ways from town, on one hundred acres of land, no neighbors for a couple of miles in any direction. In short, it was perfect for her.

Finished with her shower, she stepped out, dried and dug out some jeans and a shirt to wear from her suitcase. Dropping the towel, she dressed quickly and finished up getting ready for the day, throwing the damp towel in the basket in the corner as she left the bathroom.

She made up the bed and straightened up the room before walking out into the hall.

Curiosity set in as she glanced down the hall, so she began opening the closed doors. A couple of them were closets, but most were bedrooms.

Shit, but this place was massive.

She found herself feeling thankful that she didn't have to worry about furnishing it.

The very next room she opened had her breath catching in her throat and she entered it slowly, her eyes taking in details as they adjusted to the low light that barely filtered in around the sides of the heavy drapes over the windows.

"Holy hell, just what were you into Great Aunt Isadora?" she murmured as she stared around at all of the strange artifacts in the room. There were too many candles to count, all of different colors and varieties, lined up on shelves and just under the shelves of candles were jars upon jars of what looked to be herbs and… other things. Shit… pieces and parts of animals, maybe? She shuddered.

She walked toward the shelves, wanting a closer look, and tripped on the edge of the rug that was spread in the center of the wood floor. Recovering herself, she looked down, seeing that the edge of the rug was now folded over and that it had been covering something on the floor. Squatting down, she turned back more of the rug and sure enough, there was some kind of pattern there.

Rolling the rug back almost completely, her eyes widened as a huge pentagram was revealed. "Damn. You really were into some freaky shit weren't you?"

Glancing up and around, she spied what she could only describe as an altar and on it was a book. She got up and walked over to it, running her hand over the old cover but jerking her hand back when some sort of… energy moved through her entire body at the contact. Her heart sped, her hand now on her chest as her breathing picked up. What the hell had that been?

She backed away, almost tripping over the damn rug again in her haste to get the hell out of the room. There was just something about that book that was already drawing her back to it, and it was freaking her out.

Now safely back in the hallway, she closed the door firmly and looked down, trying to slow her heart and breathing. God, how she wished she still had Charlie to ask about this. He'd known his Aunt Isadora very well from what he'd told her, but she'd never asked him about the woman on any of her summer visits with him and she'd been too wrapped up in all things Edward after moving in with him to concern herself with anything else, to her everlasting regret.

She shook her head, a pang of pain gripping her once again at all the things she wished she'd done and shared with her father, a few tears hitting the floor before she took a deep breath, wiping her eyes as she looked back up, determination filling her.

She had to stop this. Her life is what it is and there would be no going back; no do-overs. Fuck ups were what they were and it was all too late to fix, especially with tears. They solved absolutely nothing. She should know; she'd shed enough of them in her short life after all.

With that mental pep-talk, she made her way down the hall toward the staircase. Time to go shopping and get this place set so she wouldn't have to leave it for a while.

She'd been feeling the itch to write for a few days now and she was looking forward to getting to it. Would she ever produce something worth publishing? She wasn't sure but she really didn't care either. Writing was her outlet; her connection to a world beyond, where she could express her pain, her anger, her… darkness. It was cathartic; needed.

She grabbed her keys from the small table in the foyer and left, locking the door after herself with a grim smile. Who would break in after all? She hadn't seen a soul around here, and even the home inspector had commented on the isolation of the place.

She shrugged mentally as she climbed into her truck. Maybe she'd get a dog. She thought maybe she could tolerate the company of a dog, even though she'd never had one.

She smirked to herself as she pulled out onto the main road into town. Jake had been the closest to owning a pet she'd ever come, and she had to admit, even though she owed him a lot for protecting her and Charlie, he'd been a huge pain in the ass.

Even with the whole wolf imprint thing and the fact that he hadn't imprinted on her, he'd still hounded her relentlessly.

Snorting a laugh at her bad pun, she flipped on the radio, quickly finding an alternative rock station and cranking the volume.

Setting the cruise control, she relaxed back and tapped her fingers on the wheel to the beat of the music.

At least now she had a decent vehicle to drive. She'd taken some of her money and purchased a new candy-apple red F-150 loaded with all the options before making the trip here. There was just no way the old rust bucket would have made it, so she gave it back to Jake and Billy, gladly.

She tapped the break, canceling the cruise control as she got closer to town. Beginning to see some actual traffic, she slowed even further as she looked for a grocery store amongst the store fronts, pulling into the parking lot of the first one she saw. Maybe she'd be picky later. For now, she just wanted to get what she needed and get home.

Pulling into a spot, she shut off the truck and hopped out, hearing the chirp when she locked it on the way into the store.

She tried her best to ignore the curious looks of the people around her as she grabbed a basket and headed into the produce section. Time to get this over with as quickly as possible, and get out of here, as she was feeling a bit like a bug under glass with all the stares.

Making her way through the aisles in what was probably the fastest feat of shopping she'd ever performed, she rolled her cart up to the line for the only open register in the place.

Great. She was now trapped; the unwilling recipient of avid glances and whispered speculations.

In a bid to avoid being open to inquiry, she grabbed a gossip rag and began to page through it as the line slowly inched ahead. It didn't work and she glanced up at the not-so-subtle clearing of a throat.

It was a girl—well, a young woman—roughly her same age if she were to venture a guess, and she was standing with another girl, both looking at her curiously. "Um, hi I'm Elena and this is my friend Bonnie. You're new around here, aren't you?"

Bella gave them a reluctant half-smile and nodded. "Yes, just moved here. Arrived last night."

Elena stuck out her hand. "Welcome to Mystic Falls. It's nice to see new people move in. I didn't notice any moving trucks though. Are you with family?"

Bella moved forward a bit and shook her head. "Nope. I'm alone."

The other girl, Bonnie, spoke up. "Did you get an apartment here in town then?"

Bella moved up and began to unload her groceries onto the conveyor belt. "No, I live quite a ways out of town in a house I inherited from my great-aunt. No close neighbors out there, but I like the solitude."

She glanced at Bonnie whose eyes had widened a bit. "The old Swan place?"

Bella met her eyes. "Yes, you know it?"

She saw Bonnie glance at Elena quickly before looking back at her with a tentative smile. "Uh, yeah. We grew up here, so we kinda know everyone."

Bella nodded and moved her basket through to the end. "Right, small towns. Seems they're the same everywhere."

She smiled at the cashier and handed over her debit card, waiting as the transaction was complete. She put it away when she got it back and looked back at the two girls. "Nice meeting you."

They both gave half-hearted waves as Elena spoke up. "Hey, we didn't get your name!"

Bella stopped pushing her basket and looked back, a bit of a blush on her cheeks. "Oh, sorry. It's Bella, Bella Swan."

She began walking again and Elena called out, "See you later Bella!"

Bella made it out the door, letting loose a sigh of relief. Jesus, she was such a social reject any more. She rolled her eyes at herself as she made her way to her truck. Like she was a fucking social butterfly before her stretch in Forks…

She began loading her bags in the truck and her thoughts went back to her new house and all that she needed to get done. She wanted to go through it and see all the rooms by the end of the day at least. She planned to make a list of anything that she would need over the next few months too, that way she could hopefully keep any trips into town strictly to food and personal items. If they only had a grocery delivery service… she'd jump on that shit too.

Finally done with unloading, she rolled the cart to the side, hooking a wheel over the planter curb and hopping in her truck. Starting it up, she released a sigh as she put it in gear and pulled out.

Thoughts of just how relieved she was to be on her way home got her to wondering if she had some sort of disorder, because this seemed to be way beyond the bounds of simple shyness. She actually experienced panic when faced with meeting and speaking to new people. That wasn't normal… right?

She sighed and ran a hand through her hair. Yeah, it was time to face facts. She was a freak and always would be, thus this place was perfect for her. She smirked bitterly and hit the gas once she'd cleared the town limits. Time to get back to her safe haven.

She quickly unloaded when she got home, putting everything away in the kitchen and even changing out the bulbs in the study.

She then went through all of the rooms on the ground level and was delighted by the study in the light of day. It was filled with books and comfortable seats for reading. It even had a fireplace that, according to the inspection she'd had done, was now clean and in perfect working order. She quickly jotted down firewood on her list and moved on.

Having now gone through the entire lower level, she eyed the stairs with a bit of dread. She'd been doing her best to ignore the upper floors all day, the pull of 'that room' and the book within it drawing on her mind heavily.

"Come on Bella, don't be so paranoid." She rolled her eyes at herself. "Yeah, like talking to yourself isn't fucking weird at all."

With that, she began to climb the stairs, her gaze cast down at the stair treads. When she reached the upper level she looked up and her breath caught in her throat in fright. Every door, as far as she could see down the long hallway, was standing wide open.

Her heart took off after skipping a beat and she struggled to breathe properly. She had closed every door securely after looking in each room she was certain, and these were wide open, not just ajar as if they hadn't latched properly.

"What the hell is going on?", she mumbled to herself as she began walking slowly down the hall. She had just passed the first open door when it slammed shut, drawing a scream from her as she whirled around to stare at it, her hand clutching the shirt over her heart. "Shit." She looked all around, glaring at the rest of the open doors. "Keep it up and I'll find a way to kick your ghostly ass, even if you are my dearly departed Aunt. Shit's not funny."

She began her walk down the hall again, muttering, "Especially since ya got me talking to thin air."

She inched her way past the next door, staring at it from the corner of her eye all the way past, breathing out a breath in relief when she was by it and it hadn't moved.

"Must have been a freak breeze…"

No sooner had the words passed her lips than the door slammed shut, causing her to freeze where she stood.

Icy fear trickled down her spine at the heavy feeling of a presence and not only that, but the undeniable absence of any sort of breeze.

"All right", she mumbled. "You have my attention, not that it's going to do you any good." She glanced around, still seeing absolutely nothing. "I mean, I have no fucking clue how to help you, ya know?"

She started searching her memories for any information she could recall on ghosts and held up a finger as an idea came to her. "Hang on!" She looked around again, feeling like a bit of an idiot. "You do know you're dead right? Because you are, okay? Dead. Which means that you don't belong here any more so shoo! Find the light and go into that bitch and leave me the hell alone."

The next door she came to was the door to the room with all the weird stuff in it; the room that she'd been avoiding all this time and she passed by it without even glancing in, determined to avoid it.

Her brow rose a bit as she came to the next door without the last one slamming shut. Could it be that the ghost or whatever the hell it was had listened to her? Could getting rid of it really be that simple?

She hadn't even made it past the next door, when it slammed shut with a bang, the force of the movement enough that her hair was blown across her face. She was really becoming freaked out now, and her voice trembled as she spoke. "Why are you doing this? Why can't you leave me alone?"

Her breath caught as, one by one, each open door slammed shut, with the exception of one; the room with all of the weird stuff in it and the book on the altar; the book that still tugged on her consciousness for reasons she couldn't explain.

As she watched, light flooded into the hall from that open door and she moved slowly toward it, her curiosity overriding her fear.

Peering in, she was able to see that the light was from the window, the drapes having been pulled back, and she mumbled to herself as she slowly walked in. "This is when any sane person would be grabbing their shit and running like hell Bella. Only stupid bimbos in b-grade horror flicks stick around to investigate."

Yeah, this was freaking her out and yeah, she probably should be hauling ass outta the place, but there was one thing stopping her and that was the fact that she hadn't felt any malevolence from this presence. It felt heavy, sad, desperate even, but not evil and so she continued on, drawing closer to the book and only stopping with a gasp as it flipped open on its own, the pages fluttering to a certain point and stopping.

Shivering now in the sudden icy coldness of the room, she inched forward, curious as to what page it had settled on.

As she took in what was written there, her eyes widened, the pieces falling into place. She straightened and scoffed. "You want me to what?! Have you lost your mind?!" She shook her head, one trembling hand covering her eyes as an hysterical laugh escaped her. "Never mind. Stupid question, I know." She dropped her hand, peering around the room as she spoke. "Look, my Aunt was obviously the witch, not me. I have no fucking clue how to do any of this shit, and I probably don't have the power required anyway, so…"

Her voice trailed off as she stared at the frosted over window where an unseen entity wrote, the words seeming to form on their own:

NEED TO COME BACK

PLEASE HELP ME

**A/N: As always with me, this is an AU. On the Twi side, it assumes that Edward left in New Moon and never returned. On the Vamp. Diaries side, it assumes that Damon is dead. Bonnie made it back, and he didn't.**

**Your thoughts, comments, questions welcomed via reviews. You can also find me on Facebook. I go by Laura Spudzmom. 'Till next time, ~Spudz**


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot. No copyright infringement intended.

A/N: Been a while, and for that you have my sincere apologies. Regular updates are planned from now unto completion, barring major illness or injury. ~Spudz

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_Previously:_

_"Look, my Aunt was the witch, not me. I have no fucking clue how to do any of this shit, and I probably don't have the power required anyway, so…"_

_Her voice trailed off as she stared at the frosted over window where an unseen entity wrote, the words seeming to form on their own: _

_NEED TO COME BACK_

_PLEASE HELP ME_

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~o0o~

Chapter 2

Bella's eyes widened as she backed away, not quite believing what she was seeing. She turned and ran from the room, not even pausing to close the door. Didn't seem to do any good anyway as whoever, or whatever that was could obviously open them at will.

At this moment, she needed some distance and this is what she gained as she practically flew down the stairs, heedless of her usual clumsiness in her pursuit of getting the hell away from 'that' room, 'that' presence.

When she finally stopped running, she realized she was in the kitchen, her breaths coming in panicked huffs as her heart continued to race. She knew that she needed to calm herself or she was going to be in for a full-blown panic attack and she hadn't suffered one of those since the night of Charlie's death.

With shaking hands, she reached into the cabinet and grabbed a glass, moving then to the freezer to grab the bottle of Grey Goose she'd placed there earlier in the day.

She held on to the chilled bottle, closing her eyes as she made a conscious effort to slow her breathing and still her trembling hands before attempting to pour a shot of the stuff.

Finally feeling sufficiently calmed to be able to function, she opened the bottle, pouring the glass half full. She was out to calm and relax herself, not get trashed and she hadn't had a thing to eat yet.

Attempting to replace the lid on the bottle, she cursed as her fingers refused to cooperate. She was still shaking too badly to get it done so she tossed the lid back down and took up the glass, knocking back half of the contents in one go.

"Oh fuck", she wheezed as the liquid scorched its way down her throat.

She kept the stuff around for cases such as this one in order to keep the panic away, but the attacks had been so rare that she wasn't used to it any longer.

There had been a time, after Edward's departure, that she had used her crutch quite often, but only as a means to relax and not something to drown her sorrows.

Shockingly, Charlie had been very understanding, but in a cautiously observant way; ready to step in the minute he saw a potential problem forming, which it never had. The more she'd healed from her emotional wounds, the less she had experienced the attacks and eventually, the bottle of Goose had maintained a lonely existence in the freezer.

Taking a deep, calming breath, she took another swallow, this time enjoying the pleasant warmth of it as it spread through her.

Reaching for the lid, she replaced it on the bottle which she stuck back in the freezer. While she was in there, she grabbed a frozen meal. She needed to eat as she thought that was probably half her problem with being able to cope with what had just happened.

As she prepared the tray for the microwave, her thoughts went back to that room, the book, and the presence.

She stuck the tray in the microwave, punched the buttons and leaned against the counter to wait.

Just what the hell was she going to do if it continued to fuck with her life here? Could she eventually ignore it? Would it even allow her to, or would it escalate things as she tried?

She shrugged a shoulder as she took another drink.

Only time would tell, because, as she stood thinking about it, that's exactly what she resolved to do; ignore it. There was just no way she saw herself getting involved in the things her great-aunt had obviously been deeply involved in. She wasn't a witch, for fucks sake!

She scoffed, a scowl overtaking her features as she knocked back the remainder of her drink, feeling suddenly very brave and defiant.

She damn well wasn't gonna be a witch either. Casper could just fuck right off.

The beeping of the microwave brought her back from her musings and she turned and opened the door, grabbing the edge of the tray and sliding it onto a plate.

Sitting down at the small table in the kitchen, she stared down at the food in the tray that was supposed to resemble lasagna, poking at it with a fork. "This shit never looks like the picture on the package", she mumbled with a sigh before shrugging and taking a bite. It still tasted half-way decent and it filled her stomach, which was all she really cared about at this point.

When she'd eaten about half her food she rose and rinsed out her glass, grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge and filling it before taking a drink and sitting back down to finish eating.

The sound of water splashing onto the floor caught her attention and she turned to see the bottle she'd left on the counter overturned, its contents pooling in a puddle on the floor.

She glared at it a moment. "So, that's how it's gonna be eh, Casper? Jesus, where are the ghostbusters when you need 'em?" She glared all around the kitchen. "You're damn lucky I can't see you or I'd be rubbing your nose in that, you ass. You think water is gonna scare me? I've been stalked by a vampire out to kill me, so all your little tricks are gonna do is piss me off."

The only response to that was the tipped over bottle rolling the rest of the way off the counter where it bounced on the floor, splashing the puddle to a wider area.

"Fine" she grumbled, turning back to finish her questionable meal with an irritated shrug. When she finished, she rose and tossed the tray in the trash before ripping off several paper towels to clean up the puddled water.

As she bent down to clean up the mess, the door to the trashcan cupboard slammed shut, and she froze for a moment, eyeing it with disdain. Gathering the wet towels, rising and throwing them away, she frowned as she shut the cupboard once again, resentment filling her.

"Look, why can't you just leave me alone? I've dealt with a lot of crap in my life, ya know? Crap that would break a normal person and I'm tired of it. I just want to live my life in peace, okay?" She swiped angrily at a tear. "Please, just find someone else to help you. I can't do this…"

She spent the rest of the day either on the phone, ordering the things she needed—like firewood—or cleaning, not that anything was overly dirty, but everything needed a good dusting and she vacuumed and mopped. Admittedly, it was mostly busy work, but it served to keep her occupied and also helped to tire her out so that she'd hopefully sleep decently.

Trudging upstairs after a quick sandwich for dinner, she ignored the door to 'that' room as it creaked open when she entered the hallway.

"Nice try," she mumbled as she entered her bedroom, closing the door behind her with a tired sigh.

Leaning against her closed door, she jumped at the sound of what she was sure was 'that' door down the hall slamming shut, her heart picking up speed at the sound of footsteps drawing close and then passing by in the hall.

Squeezing her eyes shut for a moment, she gathered her courage and peeked out into the hall, hoping like hell she wouldn't see anyone or anything.

Sure enough, there was nothing there in the low light she had left on. She was alone… sort of.

Closing her door and turning the lock with shaking fingers, she had to admit that this was still freaking her out, no matter how brave she tried to act. When giving it thought, she almost preferred the damn vampire being after her. At least that was a tangible being; something that she could face, get help with and be protected from. This was… well, she wasn't quite sure what the hell this was or how she felt about it, but it was obvious to her that whatever it was didn't want to take 'no' for an answer.

As far as getting any help, well… she scoffed as she made her way to the bathroom to ready herself for bed. Just who the hell was going to believe her? She may as well buy twenty cats and knit her own awful sweaters so she'd fit the "crazy lady" label that she'd be stamped with the minute she mentioned this to anyone, even Jake.

Especially Jake; he'd thought her self-isolationism had been the first step to cracking up completely and hadn't left her alone about it, constantly trying to drag her out of the house when she'd still been in Forks. No, Jake was definitely not an option.

Spitting toothpaste in the sink and rinsing, she considered her options. She could research and try to find a way to drive out this thing—entity—dead person that obviously didn't want to be dead. Drying her hands on a towel, she made up her mind. That's exactly what she would do; find a way to send him/her/it on their ghostly way.

She'd also get a dog; a very big dog.

Flipping off the light, she hopped into bed and drew the covers over herself with a shiver, hoping that her unseen companion would leave her in peace for the rest of the night. With that last thought, she slipped into an uneasy sleep filled with dreams of bloodthirsty vampires, wolves and now ghostly terrors.

**Your thoughts? 'Till next time, ~Spudz**


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot and any original characters therein. No copyright infringement intended.

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Previously:

_Spitting toothpaste in the sink and rinsing, she considered her options. She could research and try to find a way to drive out this thing—entity—dead person that obviously didn't want to be dead. Drying her hands on a towel, she made up her mind. That's exactly what she would do; find a way to send him/her/it on their ghostly way._

_She'd also get a dog; a very big dog._

_Flipping off the light, she hopped into bed and drew the covers over herself with a shiver, hoping that her unseen companion would leave her in peace for the rest of the night. With that last thought, she slipped into an uneasy sleep filled with dreams of bloodthirsty vampires, wolves and now ghostly terrors._

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**Chapter 3**

Damon wandered aimlessly through the darkened halls of the old house as he tried to stifle his dark mood and frustration. It was a bitch, truly. He couldn't even indulge in a drink for fuck's sake, and he wanted to; oh how he wanted to…

The girl had gone to bed a couple of hours ago and he'd come to learn she slept like the dead for the first few hours, so he couldn't even mess with her at this point and he was bored.  
Thinking back on how he'd toyed with her earlier got him to thinking about her revelations that she'd had experience with vampires before. He found this pretty intriguing since she was new around here. He sighed. If only he could ask her about it… and once again, he was back to being frustrated…

Being whatever he was at the moment (Ghost? Vampire? Dead for real? Trapped on another plane of existence? He just had no fucking clue.) he'd quickly learned was no fun at all, and if he was about anything, it was fun, or at least his definition of the word anyway…

But now? _'Not so much…'_ he thought with a bitter smirk.

He supposed he should be grateful. At least now, he had the girl here and he'd figured out how to get through to her…at least somewhat. He rolled his eyes with a derisive snort. Okay, so it wasn't the best way to go about getting help, but beggars can't be choosers, right? That was his logic anyway, so his ghostly antics would have to continue. He only wished there was someway she could at least see him. Maybe that way he could go about getting what he needed without scaring the living fuck out of the girl all the time. See? He did have a heart… He snickered at the thought and wandered into what he'd dubbed the 'witchy' room, not bothering to stop the door from banging against the wall as he shoved it open, mildly impressing himself with his ever-improving ability to do so.

With a tired sigh, he walked over to 'the book', still opened to the spell he needed on the altar table, the pages softly lit by the shaft of moonlight that fell upon it from the open drapes.

Reaching out, he traced the spidery lines of handwriting almost reverently as emotions he was reluctant to name tightened his chest. He needed to escape this half-life and this ritual was his only option—the girl was his only option.

Clenching his fist over the page, he growled in frustration and impatience and stalked to the window, the bright light of the waxing moon bathing him in its ethereal light as he stared, unseeing, outside.

A sharply indrawn breath had him turning quickly toward the open door where the girl now stood, gaping. _'Why?'_ he wondered with a furrowed brow as he cocked his head to the side and watched her. It almost seemed as though she could see him, but that was impossible, right?

~o0o~

It seemed to Bella that she'd just drifted off when something startled her awake but what, was the question she pondered as she lay there a moment, trying to calm her thudding heart.

Reaching over, she pulled the chain on her small bedside lamp and peered around her room. Not seeing anything out of order, she sat up and grabbed her robe from the end of the bed and shrugged into it as she stood and stepped into a pair of slippers.

As much as she dreaded doing so, she was going to check out what it could have been. "It's official Bella," she muttered. "You have no sense of self preservation…" She snorted as she grabbed a can of pepper spray from the tiny table and crossed the room to ease open her door. "That, or you've finally crossed the line from mildly disturbed and on into the realm of bat-shit crazy…"

Creeping into the darkened hall, she avoided the desire to turn on lights…after all, if there was a tangible intruder, a light would just serve to give the asshole the advantage of being able to see clearly. Without light, she at least knew her way around and might be able to get away should they try something.

With her heart in her throat, she moved down the hall toward where she could see moonlight spilling from an open doorway. As she drew closer, she slowed and sighed, confirming what she suspected. It was 'that' room and she clenched her jaw as this was not only scary now, but serving to really piss her off.

As she stood gathering her courage, her heart stuttered as the spilling light wavered and a shadow was cast as though someone had just stepped into it. "Shit," she whispered as she hugged the wall and crept closer, the pepper spray gripped tightly in her clammy hand.

When she was by the open door, she held her breath and listened for a moment, only stepping around the door-frame when she heard nothing. What she saw when she did so had her sharply sucking in a breath.

It was the figure of a man, albeit a slightly translucent one who turned to look straight at her as her breaths quickened and heart pounded, her body now frozen in fear.

As she watched, his brow furrowed and he cocked his head to one side. "Who—who are you and what do you want?" she finally managed to choke past her terror-tightened throat. To her continued shock, he smiled and his lips moved, though he produced no sound.

It was when he held out a hand and stepped toward her that she regained the ability to move and she backed away a step. "Why are you doing this?!" she murmured, her voice choked on fresh tears. "Go away! Please!" she begged.

~o0o~

Damon cocked his head as he looked at the terrified girl. "You can see me?" he asked as excitement shot through him. This was a welcomed development for sure. Now if he could just get her to calm down and perhaps make out what he was saying… He held out a hand to her and stepped forward but she stepped back, tears now beginning to trace down her cheeks. "Why are you doing this?!" she murmured as she cried. "Go away! Please!" she pleaded and he resisted the urge to growl. He was being nothing but nice damn it!

He sighed as it was obvious she couldn't hear his words. _'Time for another tactic,'_ he thought as he brought both hands together in front of him in a pleading motion. "Please…please just try to hear me," he said as he sank to his knees. Her eyes widened at this and he continued on, trying to make the words clear upon his lips as he spoke.

"Help me," he intoned while staring into her shocked gaze. "Please…help…me," he mouthed as clearly as he could and she moaned while her eyes shut tightly for a moment.

"You aren't real," she babbled. "You can't be real. I've just finally gone completely crazy…that's it…and when I open my eyes, you'll be gone…"

She opened her eyes and dropped the small canister she'd been holding, for there he was, still in his pleading position on his knees, his bright but ghostly blue eyes still entreating. "Please," she read from his lips and she sighed while wiping at her tears.

"What do you want from me?" she asked, her tone laced with fatigue and defeat. Resignation filled her as she watched him smile sadly and point to 'the book'.

"Okay, you win," she conceded as she swiped at her tears with a shaky hand. "I'll try, but I make no promises and I'm not doing shit until tomorrow. As for now, I need sleep, so leave me the hell alone, got it?"

To her surprise, he smiled widely and gave her a nod after which she turned and left, never bothering to pick up the can of pepper spray.

Only after she'd left did Damon get back to his feet. He wasn't sure how she'd been able to see him—something to do with the moonlight perhaps?—but he wasn't about to question his good fortune.

Turning back to look out the window, his thoughts went to his primary motivation for all of this effort; the girl he missed so terribly; the girl he was now sure he loved: Elena Gilbert.

"Just a little longer doll…just wait for me a little longer," he murmured while staring at the silvery moon as it slowly sank behind the tree-tops.

"It's all I ask…"

**Your thoughts? 'Till next time, ~Spudz**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot and any original characters therein. No copyright infringement intended.**

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_**Previously: Bella had just agreed to try to help a ghostly Damon. We begin this next chapter the morning of the next day. Happy reading and reviews are appreciated and get subsequent chapters out quicker too. ~Spudz**_

* * *

**Chapter 4**

Alone. Lost. Adrift. Desolate…

These were the primary emotions weighing heavily on Bella's soul when she woke the next morning and she hated it—hated this downward spiral she could feel, even as it sucked her ever deeper into inner darkness with every second that passed.

It wasn't as though it was unfamiliar; this feeling. No, the sad truth was, she was intimately familiar with it, especially since she'd lost her last real tie to this world; Charlie.

A single tear traced its way into her hair as she lay there, staring blankly at the ceiling. "Dad," she whispered into the silence. "Why did you have to leave me?" Her eyes closed slowly as more tears wet her hair and pillow. "I miss you…" she choked through her tightened throat, her hands now gripping the sheets in clenching fists as she tried to overcome the despair that threatened to overwhelm her.

~o0o~

In a chair across the room in the darkest corner, unseen and unheard, sat Damon, a pensive look on his face as he watched his only hope struggle with herself after waking.

She looked fragile, he observed; as though the slightest touch would break her and he had to wonder. This was quite the departure from the girl he'd seen over the past couple of days; the girl who, despite her, at times, naked fear, had faced his presence with a steadfast determination that impressed even one such as he; no small feat, that.

_'So, what brought this on?'_ he wondered as his ice-blue eyes followed the path of her first tear as it fell. _'Was it me? Did I finally break her?'_ His fists clenched as anger sparked within him at his less than subtle tactics. _'Damn it! I should have been more careful!'_ he berated himself just as she began to whisper. When he heard her words though, he felt a measure of relief.

Grief—she was still grieving for her father… Now that was something he could understand and perhaps even work with. She was lonely—profoundly so, he came to realize and with a small, sad smile, sat back in the chair and let her cry it out, all the while planning how to use this knowledge…

...to their mutual benefit, of course…

~o0o~

When her tears had finally subsided, Bella dried her face with a sleeve and sat up to peer around the room, that creepy feeling of the presence of another now edging out her sadness, if only marginally.

When she saw nothing out of the ordinary, she swung her legs over the side and made her way to the bathroom to get ready for the day.

* * *

When the bathroom door closed behind the girl, Damon smirked when only moments later he heard her grumble, "If I find out you're in here perving, I'll find a way to kick your ass…"

He snorted and rolled his eyes at that just as the shower came on. After all, he had no reason to do such a thing. He loved Elena, after all and while this girl may be beautiful, in a very down-home kind of way, he had no desire to get turned on when there was little he could do to remedy the situation. He hadn't jerked off in ages, thanks very much! He hadn't needed to, he thought with a cocky smirk as his many willing conquests over the years came to mind. Nope, he hadn't stooped to such desperate measures since he was a human adolescent and he damn well wasn't about to start now…

Still, now that she'd mentioned it, his curiosity kicked in and he began to wonder…just what did she look like under all those relatively shapeless clothes she favored? He leaned back and closed his eyes as he pictured what he'd seen of her over the past few days; the hint of a shapely waist and a firm, rounded ass as she bent to pull back the rug or clean the water he'd spilled from the floor…high, pert breasts hidden under shapeless shirts, their size just right at slightly more than a handful…

His eyes flashed open and he clenched his jaw at the all-too-familiar tightening in his groin. _'Damn it!'_ he cursed as he struggled to redirect his thoughts. _'Now isn't the time Salvatore…'_

Just as he'd shaken himself from his reverie, the shower cut off and moments later, she walked out in nothing but a towel causing him to suck in a ghostly breath as she dropped the meager cloth to dress herself.

_'Well shit,'_ he thought as his softening cock rebelled in renewed interest. _'At least I know I can still spot quality…'_ he told himself as his eyes roamed over her chest, her full, firm breasts with dusky blushing peaks, just begging to be fondled and kissed as she went about slipping into a bra. He stifled a groan as she snapped the garment in place.

Next, he watched as she stepped into a matching pair of hot pink panties, his eyes locked on them as she dragged them up shapely legs and over what he considered a pleasingly plump and luscious ass. His fingers twitched with want as he thought about caressing that ass—his mind conjuring scenes of his hands smoothing over the skin that resembled silk while he stroked into her from behind… he turned his head sharply as his teeth ground together, the tightness in his jeans now more than a little uncomfortable. _'What the hell is wrong with me?!'_ he thought as he fought to beat back his lust. "Been stuck here too long…" he muttered as he ran a hand through his hair.

When he felt he had control of himself again, he turned back to see her dressed and pulling on shoes. To his surprise, she spoke. "You think I don't know you're here?" she asked as she looked up and around the room. "It got pretty cold in here all of the sudden…" she muttered as her eyes narrowed and she walked toward his chair. "…especially in this corner." Still, he could tell by the way her eyes continued to dart around, she couldn't actually see him and so he relaxed.

"Did you enjoy the show?" she questioned bitterly. His brows rose as she scoffed. "Probably not," she muttered. "It's not as though I have anything that would hold a male's attention…" With that, she walked over, grabbed her discarded towel and entered the bathroom.

Seconds later, he heard the sound of a hair dryer and he found his thoughts consumed by what she'd just said. _'Not as though she had anything to hold a male's attention?!'_ he thought incredulously. _'Is she crazy?'_ he wondered. The girl was beautiful—her body a fucking treat—but she obviously couldn't see that judging by what she'd just said. It made him curious as to what had happened in her past to give her such a skewed impression of herself. Such thoughts would have to wait though as she came back out and left the room without another word.

He followed as she passed the 'witchy room' without even glancing at it and trotted down the stairs. Leaning against the door frame of the foyer, he watched as she grabbed her bag and keys. "See ya later, Casper," she mumbled as she left the house and locked the door. With a sigh, he headed for the library.

"Time to go see how good you've gotten at turning pages Salvatore."

~o0o~

Bella was just reading over the menu in the first diner she'd spotted when a familiar voice greeted her.

"Bella, right?" the girl—Elena if she remembered correctly—asked as she slid into the booth across from her. "Hi," she said with a smile as Bella met her gaze.

"Hi," she greeted back as she laid the menu aside. "Yeah, it's Bella," she confirmed awkwardly, not sure what else to say as the girl made herself comfortable by taking off her jacket.

"You don't mind if I join you for a few do you? I'm waiting on someone and I hate being alone, these days especially. Gives me too much time to think, and that's not a good thing."

Bella merely smiled, not sure what to say to that as the waitress walked up to take her order. "What can I get ya sweetie?"

"I'll have the special, eggs over easy, bacon and white toast please."

"You got it hun. Anything to drink?" she asked while jotting down the order.

"Coffee and water, please," Bella answered as she handed the menu back to the server.

"Got it!" she chirped with a bright smile before turning toward Elena. "Anything for you sweetie?"

"Well, I'm actually waiting for someone to join me, but I'll have a coffee until then."

"Sure thing, be right back with that," she said with a nod as she turned and headed for the kitchen.

Elena focused on Bella who was busy shredding the corner of her napkin. "So, how are you liking Mystic Falls so far? Have you met anyone besides me and Bonnie?"

Bella shook her head. "No, I really haven't been out since my trip to the grocery store." She met the girl's gaze with a wan smile. "I'm not really good with meeting people, if you couldn't tell."

The waitress came back with their coffee and water just then and Bella busied herself with adding cream and sugar while Elena sipped hers plain. She frowned and set the cup down. "You know," she began with a sad glance at Bella. "I could introduce you to some people. I can only imagine how hard it is being all alone and I have a good feeling about you," she finished with a smile. "You seem like a nice person. One I'd like to get to know."

Something that felt like lead settled in Bella's stomach but she smiled through it. "Thanks," she mumbled, not sure what else to say. How could she admit her problem with being around others? Simply put, she felt she couldn't; not without exposing herself as the freak she felt herself to be, so she kept quiet and sipped her coffee.

"Not a problem," Elena said with a smile. "Besides, they're great people. You'll like them, I'm sure of it."

Bella merely nodded.

"So, tell me about your new house! How are you liking the old Swan place? Had you visited before?"

Bella shrugged. "A couple of times with my Dad when I was very little. I don't remember much. I remember my Aunt being kind of odd though," she admitted with a weak laugh. "Guess it runs in the family."

Elena chuckled. "You're not odd Bella; shy maybe, but not odd. We'll take care of that when you get to know my friends."

Bella's chest began to tighten and she struggled to breathe through the beginnings of a panic attack. "Look Elena, I appreciate what you're planning but the truth is, I'm just not a social person. I prefer solitude actually." She met the other girl's gaze, silently begging for understanding. "I've gone through some stuff in my life and it's left its mark on me. I just don't handle people very well. I have anxiety and panic attacks and I'd just rather avoid it, ya know?"

Elena reached across the table and squeezed Bella's hand. "Okay, I understand and I'll limit the introductions to one or two…for now. But you're a young woman Bella and it's a shame to give up and let whatever's happened beat you. It's not healthy and I'm not sure why, but I feel compelled to help you." She gave her hand one last squeeze and let go, the look in her eyes sad and haunted. "I've had losses of my own, ya know and I don't think I'd be here today without my friends…" she trailed off and stared into the distance for a moment before looking back with a determined smile. "I want to be your friend…if you'll let me."

Bella wrapped her hands around her cup and nodded. "All right, but it has to be on my terms," she said as she studied her cup for a moment. Looking back up, she continued. "My home is my safe place so no dropping by unannounced. You have to call first and if I'm not in the mood for visitors, you have to respect that…please?"

Elena smiled. "Okay, I can live with that…as long as you agree to meet with me on neutral territory every now and then, say for lunch or shopping…something like that." She stuck out her hand. "Deal?"

Bella smiled despite the apprehension she felt and took her hand, giving it a shake. "Deal," she agreed just as a young looking man walked up. "Elena," he greeted with a smile.

"Oh, hey Stefan!" Elena greeted as he bent down to place a kiss on her cheek. She gestured toward Bella. "Meet my new friend, Bella Swan. Bella, this is my…friend, Stefan Salvatore."

Bella noticed he stared at Elena for a moment before smiling as he turned to her with his hand out, his startling green eyes filled with the same shadows she'd seen in Elena's. "It's nice to meet you Bella," he said politely as they shook. As he drew his hand back, Bella noticed a very prominent ring on his finger and had the urge to ask about it which she stifled.

"Likewise," she said as a cursed blush heated her cheeks.

He tensed, though he did a very good job of hiding it. Still, Bella caught it and wondered at it as he turned back to Elena. "Well, shall we go grab a table?" he asked stiffly.

Bella watched as Elena tilted her head while looking at him. "Sure," she murmured slowly, looking puzzled before shaking it off. She glanced back at Bella as she stood. "So," she said while pulling out a pen. "Here's my cell. Text or call me and we'll set something up," she chirped while jotting her info on a napkin before meeting Bella's gaze. "You promise?"

Bella chuckled and nodded. "Yeah, I promise."

~o0o~

Bella left the diner a while later feeling much better after some alone time and her hunger sated with breakfast.

Her thoughts went back to the young guy she'd been introduced to as she climbed in and started her truck. She was sure he'd thought he'd done a good job of being sneaky, but she'd noticed the many times he'd looked at her from across the restaurant and it had made her uncomfortable. His interest hadn't been typical of any other guy. As a matter of fact, his many stolen glances had been almost…resentful and she gripped the wheel a bit tighter when she realized just who those looks had reminded her of.

Edward…from the first day of school during the time he'd been fighting not to drain her dry.

But Stefan was human, she thought as she drove toward the animal shelter, so surely that couldn't be a factor. Still, she was now sure she was right and it chilled her for some reason.

With a shake of her head, she focused back on the road. With any luck, Elena would tire of her rescue project and she'd never have to see Stefan Salvatore again. "Quit borrowing trouble where there is none Bella," she muttered as she turned up the volume on the music. "Time to go get that big, ghost eating dog you promised yourself…"

With that thought, she smiled and relaxed into the drive, now looking forward to having a new companion around.

~o0o~

Damon slammed the book he was reading closed…or at least tried to. It didn't quite work out that way and instead sort of just closed with a very dissatisfying flop. He'd been using energy to read and turn pages for a couple of hours now and he was drained, not to mention bored and out of patience. "Where the fuck is she?" he grumbled darkly while stalking to the window.

A muscle ticked in his jaw as he stared out toward the road and he cursed his predicament yet again. Surely, hell could not be any worse than this monotonous limbo he was currently trapped in. To be so close to everything he loved and desired and yet so far away…

He growled and began to turn from the window when the bright red paint of Bella's truck caught his eye and anticipation filled him as he watched her pull in and park. "It's about damn time," he grumped as she hopped down from the truck. "Aw shit," he groaned when a massive dog hopped out after her. "Now I get to listen to a barking dog…joy."

Still, he hated to admit it, but he was just damn glad she was back, even if she was now adding Cujo to the mix. He watched her heft a huge bag of what he guessed was dog food from the back of the truck before stumbling her way to the door. Minutes and lots of muffled curses later, the lock finally turned and she practically fell into the house as the dog bounded in and the bag of food fell to the floor in a crunchy sounding plop.

He propped himself against the door frame and chuckled as he watched her try to catch her breath. "Jesus," she grouched. "You just had to get the fifty pound bag, didn't ya Bella?"

Meanwhile, the dog was standing there, hackles raised and growling lowly as he stared at him. "I was here first Cujo," he said menacingly with a hiss. He chuckled darkly as the dog yelped and ran off into another room.

"Eddie!" Bella called while shoving the bag out of the way and closing the door. "Come here boy! What's wrong with you?" she asked while scratching behind his ear. "Did mean ol' Casper scare ya? Huh, boy?"

The dog wagged his tail while edging to stand behind her and she sighed with a chuckle. "You do know you're supposed to be protecting me, right?" The dog whined and barked and she nodded. "Yeah, I know he's here, but I don't think he'll hurt us. He's kind-of like you…his bark is worse than his bite—or at least I hope it is," she trailed off as she tossed her keys on the table and hefted the bag of food. "Come on," she wheezed out as she staggered under the weight of the bag. "Let's go get you fed."

~o0o~

A little while later, after both she and Eddie had eaten, she climbed the stairs and stood in front of 'that' room. "All right," she mumbled as she glanced around. "I agreed to this, so here I am." With that, she took a breath, let it out and marched into the room.

Unseen and unheard by her, Damon followed. "It's about time," he remarked dryly as he smirked at the dog who wouldn't enter the room. "Are ya chicken Ed?" he asked the skulking dog who whined and sat, staring toward his new master. "Fierce protector indeed…" Damon snorted as he took a seat to watch Bella who was dragging a chair over to the altar where she finally sat and stared at the book while biting her lip.

Reaching out, she tentatively touched the page it was still turned to, only to jerk her hand back at the surge of energy she felt at the contact. She scowled. "This isn't gonna get you anywhere Bella. Just pick the damn thing up."

Across the room, Damon rolled his eyes while gesturing with a hand. "Yes, please, for the sake of all fucks, get on with it."

Of course, Bella heard none of this, but it made him feel better, so fuck it, he thought with a dark look. He really had no patience left to lose at this point and just wanted it done and over with. He wanted his life back, damn it and if he had to get aggressive to get that done, he wasn't above making it happen even if part of him felt bad for the girl.

Finally ignoring the unsettling connection, she placed the book on her lap and began to read, her lips moving as she mouthed the chant she'd need to recite for the ritual. After a few minutes, she nodded, placed the book back on the altar and rose to place the chair back in its original spot. Once done, she turned and began rolling the rug to reveal the ritual circle hidden beneath.

Referring back to the book several times she set the circle up with salt and candles and stood back to survey it when she was done. "Okay," she muttered as she stepped into the circle and sat down crossed legged. "Well, here goes nothing…" she mused while shaking the tension from her hands. With several deep, even breaths, she centered herself and began the chant.

Damon watched as she performed what he thought was a practice run. It was the only conclusion he could draw from this as she hadn't bothered to light any of the candles.

Needless to say, he was shocked when, moments later, he began to…feel something—something like a pull on his very being—and he gasped as the pull increased to the point of discomfort as the volume and pitch of her voice rose.

On the seventh repetition of the chant, Bella fell silent and sagged where she sat, a fine sheen of sweat now covering her body from the energy the ritual had taken from her. Finally opening her eyes, she looked up and gasped at the male figure now slumped into the chair across from her. It was the male from the night before but now he looked more real—less opaque—but still not quite _there_. It was disappointing, to say the least because this had been one hell of a drain on her whole body and she wasn't sure she wanted to do it again.

As she watched, he came to and sat up, his icy blue gaze locked with hers as she stared. "You can see me now?" he questioned slowly and she gasped at the sound of his voice.

"I—I hear you now too," she stammered in shock as his eyes widened.

He fell to his knees from the chair and stared at his hands with a furrowed brow. "You can hear me, and yet I'm still not fully back." He looked up after moments and glared.

"Just what the hell have you done?"

**Your thoughts? If you like it, leave a review! **

**'Till next time, ~Spudz**


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot and any original characters therein. No copyright infringement intended.

A/N: What can I say? Real life's an ass kicker. If you're still here or if you're new to the story and enjoy it, please leave a review. It's cheap pay guys! Thanks! ~Spudz

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_Previously:_

_On the seventh repetition of the chant, Bella fell silent and sagged where she sat, a fine sheen of sweat now covering her body from the energy the ritual had taken from her. Finally opening her eyes, she looked up and gasped at the male figure now slumped into the chair across from her. It was the male from the night before but now he looked more real—less opaque—but still not quite there. It was disappointing, to say the least because this had been one hell of a drain on her whole body and she wasn't sure she wanted to do it again._

_As she watched, he came to and sat up, his icy blue gaze locked with hers as she stared. "You can see me now?" he questioned slowly and she gasped at the sound of his voice._

_"I—I hear you now," she stammered in shock as his eyes widened._

_He fell to his knees from the chair and stared at his hands with a furrowed brow. "You can hear me, and yet I'm still not fully back." He looked up after moments and glared. "Just what the hell have you done?"_

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_~o0o~_

**Chapter 5**

She stared, wide-eyed as her mouth opened and closed a couple of times while processing what he'd said. When she had, she glared right back. "Look you ungrateful asshole, I don't know who you are or who you _think_ you are, but you don't get to be pissy at me, got it? If you'll recall, I didn't wanna do this in the first place!"

She struggled to her feet and he stood too and leaned toward her. "Listen up sweets," he said, getting right in her face and pointing to himself. "I'm the guy who's gonna make your life hell until you fix this…this…whatever the hell you've done!" he hissed while tossing up a hand.

She sliced a hand through the air in denial. "Oh no. No way. Nuh uh. I agreed to do this mojo-hocus-pocus once and that's all you're getting outta me. Now," she said, pointing at the door, "you need to take your ghosty ass outta my house and get on with whatever it is that has your undies bunched." She spun on her heel and headed for the door.

He followed her out and rushed around to cut her off, his eyes narrowed as he stared down at her. "Not gonna happen sweet-cheeks. You? Me? We're gonna figure this out and fix it. And until that happens, you, my dear, are stuck with me." He stepped back, leaned against the wall and crossed his arms, looking entirely too smug for Bella's taste.

"Stuff it, Casper," she growled and marched around him, down the stairs and straight to the kitchen. She pulled the bottle of Goose from the freezer and grabbed a glass. When she turned toward the table, he was there, kicked back in the chair on two legs. "Shit!" She grabbed a fistful of shirt over her chest and tilted her head back, trying to calm her racing heart.

He snickered.

She scowled.

He shrugged, and she set the bottle and glass on the table before slumping into the seat across from him. "You're a dick," she grumbled while sloshing out a healthy portion in her glass.

He smirked. "I've heard that a time or two…" he mused.

She took a bracing drink. "I just bet you have," she wheezed through the burn of the vodka while giving him her best stink-eye.

He looked proud.

They eyed each other for a few silent moments while Bella sipped her drink.

"So," he said as he leaned forward, bringing all four legs of the chair down. "Wanna know what I think went wrong?"

"I already know what went wrong," she said, matter-of-factly. He looked intrigued and waited for her to speak.

And waited...

He lost patience when all she did was spin her glass and smirk.

"Well? Let's hear it!"

She leaned forward and his gaze flitted from her sparkling eyes, to her lightly flushed cheeks, then on to her pouty, blush-red lips. She was pretty easy on the eyes, he had to admit. The sound of her voice snapped him out of his fog. "What went wrong," she drawled while staring into those ice-blue eyes, "is that I agreed to it in the first place!" she finished by throwing herself back in her chair as she slapped a hand on the table.

His lip curled. "Wrong, Sunshine," he growled. He sat back and reined in his anger. "You're powerful," he muttered, almost to himself. "You almost pulled it off despite your major fuck-up and that speaks of power." He stared and her brow furrowed.

"Look," she sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "You should really get someone else to help you. I have zero experience…"

She jumped when he banged a fist on the table, shocked that he was able to do so. "There is no one else, don't you understand?! You're it! Why do you think I'm here—in this house?"

She shot from her seat and leaned over the table. "I have no idea and no! I don't get it!"

He grabbed and tugged at his hair with a growl. "It's your Aunt's curse," he muttered and looked up into her eyes. "That's why it has to be you to lift it. It didn't _put_ me here, but it _keeps_ me here—I can't escape."

She sagged and sat back down, grabbed the bottle and while she poured another drink, she gestured to him. "So I'm stuck with you." She'd phrased it as a statement but he nodded anyway.

"Tell me then," she said. "Tell me everything." And so he shared all he knew.

He told her of his brother and their history together with Katherine. He told her of his return to Mystic Falls and of meeting Elena, his brother's girlfriend at the time. He told her of his turbulent relationship with the doppelgänger and how, despite all they'd gone through, they eventually fell in love which led to him being here, in his current situation.

He told her everything…

A couple of hours later, when he'd fallen silent, they sat, staring at each other. She shook her head. "Wow, she muttered. "And I thought I had a screwed up love life." She looked out the window at the dawning sun. "How do I get into these situations? What are the odds?"

He arched a brow and tilted back in his chair. "I tell you about witches, werewolves, curses and vampires and that's all you have to say about it?" She nodded and toyed with her glass. He studied her with narrowed eyes. "So, when I heard you muttering about vampires before—that wasn't just metaphorical, was it?"

She chuckled ruefully. "Nope."

"Tell me," he said, using her words from earlier and she scowled.

"I don't think so."

"And why not? I mean, I've spilled it _all_ here sweets. It's your turn. That's how it works."

She quirked a brow at him. "Just because you needed a therapy session doesn't mean I do. Sorry to disappoint."

He scowled. "That's hardly fair sweets," he grumbled and she smiled a smile that didn't touch the haunted look in her eyes.

"Hasn't anyone ever told you?"

He nodded while tracing invisible patterns on the table. "Yeah, yeah," he sighed. "Life isn't fair."

She saluted him with her glass. "To the unfairness of it all," she toasted and knocked back the contents.

He crossed his arms over his chest and looked sullen. "Fine, keep your secrets. I'll just piece it together from your sleep-talking." He smiled and she narrowed her eyes at him.

"You stay the hell outta my room."

His brows rose. "Why should I? It's boring as hell at night and you can be down-right entertaining at times, especially when you talk about _Edward_ and _Jacob_," he said the last in a high, breathy voice.

She paled and he almost regretted mentioning it—almost. He didn't have much of a conscience, after all…

Then tears filled her eyes and the tiny sliver of conscience he did have kicked in. "Aw shit," he groaned as she turned her face away to hide her tears. "I'm sorry, okay? Just please, don't cry…"

She swiped at her cheeks and sniffled before turning back to look at him. "That was low."

He hung his head. "I know," he mumbled. "I shouldn't have pushed."

"No, you shouldn't have."

She poured more vodka in her glass and he furrowed his brow as she took a healthy drink. "It's awfully early to be hittin' the sauce, isn't it sweets?"

She shot him a flat look. "I haven't been to sleep yet so technically it's late." She rolled her shoulders while rubbing the back of her neck with a tired sigh. Then she pinned him with a steely look. "Okay, fine. You wanna know my story? I'll tell you."

A while later and Damon stared at her mutely. "Cold ones," he stated and she nodded.

"You dated—actually had a romantic relationship—with a cold one?"

She sighed and leaned back, not meeting his eyes. "If you call closed-mouth kisses and holding hands dating, then yes." She looked at him and his brows rose.

"So, then you never…"

She felt her cheeks heat but held his gaze. "No, Edward and I never…" Then she blew out a breath. "_I've_ never…with _anyone_—and jesus, I must be tired and half drunk to admit that to you."

He smirked. "At your age, and as attractive as you are, it _is_ a little hard to believe, but then again, after observing you for the time I have, I can believe it easily."

She shot him a dirty look. "Gee, thanks."

He shrugged. "Ya gotta admit," he said as his brow creased, "you're kind-of halfway on your way to being a crazy cat lady. All you need is the cats…"

She threw the top to the bottle at him and he dodged with a snicker.

"Hey!" she said while standing to lean with her hands on the table. "How do you keep an asshole in suspense?" she questioned with a cocked brow.

He rolled his eyes. "I dunno, how?"

She smirked and left the kitchen, calling back over her shoulder, "I'll tell ya later!"

**Please review!**

**'Till next time, ~Spudz**


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot and any original characters therein. No copyright infringement intended.

A/N: Had some requests for an update for this one, so here we are. Reviews motivate folks - just a fact of life - so the more the story gets, the more attention it gets from me. I'll never ransom chapters for a certain review count though, but I figure if the readers ignore a story, I can afford to also, as I have a shitload of others to work. I love all my stories though, and as long as I do, I'll work them at some point. :-) Love and light, ~Spudz

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**Chapter 6**

"Bella… Bella… Bella… Bella… Bella… Bella… Izzy… Izzy… Izzy… Izzy… Izzy… Bella… Izzy… Bella… Izzy… Bella . . .Isabelllllla!"

Bella sighed and turned a page in the book she was pretending to read. Her unwelcome guest was twanging her last nerve like some over-tuned guitar string and she was one second away from snapping.

Instead however, she merely raised a brow and glanced down at Eddie who was curled onto the couch next to her. Her faithful companion cracked an eye without moving his head from where it lazed on his paws as she spoke. "You hear something boy?" His ropey tail flopped lazily a couple of times against the cushion before stilling and she shrugged. "Yeah, me neither," she muttered as she went back to 'reading'.

Picking up her mug of steaming tea, she took a sip and nearly choked on it as Damon, who'd taken a seat on the table just in front of her, finally lost it and slammed an opaque fist down, rattling everything on the table. "Damn it, quit ignoring me!"

The dog lifted his head and growled, his lip drawing up and trembling over a gleaming, sharp tooth. Damon rolled his eyes. "Oooh, I'm all affright, Fido—shut it mutt." To his surprise, the dog seemed to listen as he licked his chops and went back to his earlier pose of lazy disinterest.

He then looked back at Bella who was finally, _finally!_ looking at him with a steely chocolate gaze. "Okay, you have my attention, Damon. Happy?"

"Ecstatic," he sneered. It'd been days since her botched attempt to bring him back to the land of the living and she'd been ignoring him ever since; refusing to so much as acknowledge his presence, much less speak to him. He had to admit, he would've been impressed if her stubbornness hadn't pissed him off so much.

This right here? even if she was glaring…he considered a win. It was progress…

Closing her book with a drawn out sigh, she set it aside before focusing once more on his pouting face. "You're like living with a spoiled eight year old child, you know that?"

He reached over and fingered the sleeve of her—in his considered opinion—atrocious looking cable knit sweater and smirked. "Whatever you say, cat lady," he quipped with a pointed look at her fuzzy purple slippers.

She scowled and pulled her -admittedly - slightly frayed sweater closed with a hand. "It's comfortable...and at least I can change clothes every day."

He rolled his eyes. "Excuse me if I forgot to pack a bag for my trip to the ghostly realm. Besides," he said as a wicked smirk quirked his lips, those ice-blue eyes sparkling with all sorts of mischief, "I look hot in this jacket and you know it."

Bella managed to keep her face straight as her eyes briefly surveyed the black leather he wore over a tight t-shirt and snug jeans… Yeah damn it, her mouth went a bit dry. It was then she had to admit—if only to herself—he was right.

But she'd never tell _him_ that, the arrogant ass…

As her silence stretched, his smirk grew and she knew he'd caught her looking. With an indignant scowl, she tilted her chin up and crossed her arms. "What do you want, Damon?"

His brows shot up, his arms crossing as he leaned back. "You're kidding, right? Because I know you're not _that_ stupid."

She narrowed her eyes. "No, I'm not kidding. Since I already told you I won't be doing any more hocus-pocus, what could you possibly want from me?"

"Well, you see," he drawled, "we seem to find ourselves at a bit of an impasse little Miss Iz, because I can't accept no for an answer, and that's the only answer you've been giving me." He leaned forward and tilted his head as a tiny smile tugged his lips. "What do you want to bet I outlast you? I have infinite amounts of time and I haven't even scratched the surface of what a pain in the ass I can truly be."

She swallowed a snort, not doubting that statement a bit, and went to reach for her mug of tea when Eddie shot from the couch like his ass was on fire. His loud bark echoed off the walls and his hackles raised just as the ancient doorbell warbled the presence of a visitor.

Bella shot a worried glance at Damon who raised a brow. "Expecting company, sweets?"

She frowned as she rose from the couch and shuffled toward the door. "No," she muttered, "but then, I'm positive you knew that."

"True," he admitted as he followed her, stepping just outside the line of sight as she pulled the door open. His brows drew down in a deep frown though when he watched all color drain from her face as she got a look at the person on her doorstep.

"Hello Bella," a male voice intoned smoothly and Damon wondered if he'd have the energy left over from his earlier tantrum to catch her, because she looked to be two seconds away from passing out cold. He felt drained, so he doubted it.

Whoever the visitor was had left her speechless because she just stood there, mouth open, eyes wide with a white-knuckled grip on the door handle.

"I know this must be a shock," the voice intoned gently, regretfully, "and for that, I beg your forgiveness, but I had to see you, Bella. May I come in so we can talk?"

Damon glanced at the dog who'd managed to scale back to a constant low growl. Seems he didn't like the look of whoever this was though because his teeth were bared and the only thing holding him back was Bella's hand on his scruff.

"What…" Bella finally choked out, "What the _hell_ are you doing here—or anywhere near me, for that matter?" Her eyes darted to Damon and she discreetly waved him off, her hand hidden behind the door, as she looked back at her guest.

Even though they weren't sure anyone but Bella and the dog could see him, the 'get lost' message was clear, but Damon was intrigued as hell. This was the most excitement he'd seen in a while and by the darkening expression on his little witch's face, it promised to stay interesting. He'd comply by staying out of sight, but there was _no way_ he wasn't gonna eavesdrop.

With that decided, he slipped into the next room, leaving the door open as he got comfortable in the chair closest to the door.

Bella, meanwhile, was just swimming to the surface of her drowning pool of emotions as she stared at the sickeningly sympathetic, slightly smiling face of one Edward Cullen.

"Come in?! _You_ want to come in to my home and talk? Like…like you didn't just fucking toss me aside like a used pair of shoes?"

Edward had the good sense to look contrite, hanging his head before glancing up through his lashes. "Please Bella? I—I wouldn't bother you if this wasn't important."

"Fine, shut the door behind you," she snapped as she turned and stalked back to the living room. Damon's brows shot up. Was the girl crazy? He knew just how stubborn she could be, so why the fuck was she caving to this douchebag so easily? Especially when he knew how badly the guy had screwed her up…

Then he thought of Katherine and stifled a derisive snort at what a hypocrite he could apparently be. Still, he had to admit, he was curious as hell and kinda looking forward to getting a look at the asshole…

He heard the tell-tale sounds of Bella and the dog settling back on the couch, then he heard a more subtle shift of fabric and figured it was the cold one taking a seat in an adjacent chair.

"All right, Edward… Against my better judgement and the remnants of my sanity, here we are… Talk," Bella said, her tone the coldest that Damon had ever heard it.

Another shift of fabric against fabric and Damon heard the cold one's response. "Bella, first of all, I'd like you to know how very sor…"

"No!" she snapped, cutting him off. "If that's all you came here to say, you can shove it up your sparkly ass sideways, 'cause I don't wanna hear it. Please leave."

Damon snickered. He couldn't help it.

"That's not all I came to say Bella, but I had hoped…"

"Then cut the bullshit and get to it. I was just getting to the good part in the book I was reading."

The cold one sighed. "All right Bella, if that's the way you want it, I'll get right to it.

"Alice has had some disturbing visions lately. It seems the Denali coven took a trip to Italy recently. Naturally, they made a stop in Volterra to introduce their new member to the Kings, as is customary."

Damon heard more shifting and then footsteps. "Mind if I open a window or two, love? It's…been a while and your scent…"

Frowning, Damon got up and peeked into the room, cursing under his breath when he got a look at the cold one's black eyes. The fucker was on the edge, he could tell. He glanced at Bella and she looked more pissed than concerned, so he resigned himself to watching. There wasn't much he could do in his current state anyway, and once again, he found himself cursing this non-life he was stuck in.

"Go ahead, Edward, but call me 'love' again and I don't care what the fuck you have to say…your ass is outta here, got it?"

Damon watched as the asshole opened two windows before resuming his seat. "My apologies, Bella. It's just how I think of you… Old habits die hard."

Her dark eyes glittered as she glared, her knuckles white as she gripped the arm of the couch. "Not with me, they don't, now get on with it."

The douchebag nodded, looking profoundly sad. Damon rolled his eyes.

"Very well, Bella… Their new member, if you recall, is Laurent—the other coven member of James and Victoria?" She nodded, a deep frown creasing her brow as he continued. "When Aro shook his hand," the cold one paused, his expression grave, "he saw everything with his gift, Bella."

Damon's gaze darted to Bella as her breath caught and her heart sped.

"He saw you, Bella…they know you're human and they know you're aware of our existence and from touching the rest of our cousins, he knows you're immune to my gift, as Carlisle had discussed the matter with Eleazar."

Damon watched with no small amount of admiration as Bella gathered herself, transforming right before his eyes into a woman with a spine of steel. Yeah, he could tell she was still plenty scared—as she should be—but she was damned determined too, that much was plain.

"Okay," she said with a nod, "They know I know, so was that all Alice saw? Or is there more to it?"

"Well," the cold one said with a slight smile, "That's why I'm here Bella. Now that the Volturi are involved, there's nothing standing in our way…"

Her brows drew down, her eyes narrowing. "What do you mean by that?"

He leaned forward in his seat, his expression grave but pleading. "I had hoped to spare you—spare your soul from damnation Bella…that's why I refused to change you and ultimately why I left you, but Bella…I lied when I left…" he breathed, his tone earnest and filled with longing. "I still love you with everything I am…"

Damon watched as Bella's eyes went wide when the cold one knelt in front of her and took her free hand, even as the dog began growling.

"That option—leaving you human—is no longer feasible. You must turn or die now Bella. It's only a matter of time before the Volturi find you…and they are looking…Alice has seen them…" He leaned down and kissed her hand before looking back into her shocked face. "So, I was hoping you'd do me the supreme honor of becoming my wife."

"Fuuuuck me…" Damon muttered quietly at the sheer audacity of this asshole.

Bella jerked her hand back. "How the hell is being married to you supposed to change things Edward?!"

He frowned. "Well, I thought it was obvious… I know your ties to your human life are minimal—I'm so sorry about Charlie, by the way—and I know you're no longer in contact with your mother so it would be a simple matter of Carlisle changing you immediately after the ceremony." He took her hand back as Bella blinked at him, her whole body frozen in shock. "Then we would have eternity together, just as you'd wanted."

Again, she snatched her hand back and shot from her seat, her fuzzy purple slippers making muffled shuffling sounds on the rug as she paced. Then she began to laugh…hysterically, and Damon's brows shot up, hoping like hell the girl hadn't just cracked for good.

He fucking needed her, damn it, and none of this shit boded well for either of their futures.

The cold one stood and approached her and her hand shot out, stopping him in his tracks. "Stop," she ordered, her mood changing abruptly as she faced him, looking livid with tears misting her eyes. "You've got it all figured out, haven't you?" she hissed, her eyes narrowed to slits. "Everything's just falling into place, all neat and tidy-like, right? With Alice's ample help, I'm sure…" she sneered. "Poor little Bella's dead meat anyway, so let's swoop in and save the day because, hell, they're gonna kill her anyway, right? So why not save my favorite pet? Is that what you're thinking, Edward?"

"I—Bella, that's not…"

"Save it!" she snapped and began pacing again. "Just shut up and let me think…"

The cold one shut his mouth and watched her pace and Damon edged around the door frame and leaned against it. Crossing his arms, he took it all in, noting with interest how the other supernatural creature in the room seemed not to notice his presence at all.

Abruptly, she stopped and whirled toward her ex. "There has to be more to this, Edward. I mean, you were more willing to see me die a natural death than to change me, so what's changed?" she demanded.

The cold one nodded, his shoulders sagging as he ran both hands through his hair before meeting her gaze. "Alice sees Aro changing you and placing you in his guard because he knows—or at least, strongly suspects—you're gifted. Our cousins know you're immune to my gift and with one touch, Aro knew all."

"So, they don't really want to kill me, at least not for good, anyway…" she muttered and he shook his head.

"No, they don't Bella, but they…well, when you change with them, you become…" he trailed off, casting his gaze out the window as he shook his head.

"I become what, Edward?"

He looked back. "A killer, Bella. The visions Alice shared with me…they're horrific. And there's no way we'd be able to free you from them. It's just not possible. They're too gifted and too strong. And once you're under Aro's sire bond..." He let that thought hang, his meaning clear.

Bella shuffled back to the couch and sat down, her hand running through Eddie's scruff as she tucked her feet under her. "So why don't you guys just kill me, and get it over with? After all, it's the only way to solve everything and _save_ my soul, right?" she asked, her tone laced with bitterness.

"We can't do that either, Bella," the cold one hedged, his voice now so quiet, Damon was surprised Bella could hear it.

Seems she had though, because she now looked…suspicious. It was the only way Damon could describe the way she was looking at the asshole. "Why not?"

The cold one looked sad and…guilty. "Because if we kill you outright, it will lead to Aro interviewing our coven. When he learns that we did it to thwart his acquisition of you, he sentences me, Alice and Jasper to five hundred years of service and destroys the rest of our family completely as punishment."

Bella nodded. "But if you change me for _love_," she spat the word out like a curse, "then no one really questions your motives, and life goes on as normal for all except me."

Again, he hit his knees in front of her. "But I _do_ love you, Bella." He took her hand, gripping it in both of his despite her protests. "Don't you see? Our marriage…your change…it's best for all of us and I promise to make you happy, Bella."

Giving up trying to get her hand out of Edward's gentle but iron hold, she stared at him for moments before speaking. "I need time, Edward. This is a lot to think about and you just showed up, out of the blue and dumped it on me… I need time. Can you at least give me that?"

A smile bloomed on his face—the same one that used to make her knees weak and heart flutter—and he kissed her fingers before looking up through his lashes. "I can do that, love. You did a decent job of not leaving an obvious trail when you left Forks, so it'll take the Volturi some time to find you. I can give you a week. Will that be acceptable?"

She blinked and looked away, a muscle in her jaw twitching as she stared into the distance for a beat. "I guess it will have to be, won't it?" she stated more than asked, but he nodded anyway.

"Yes, considering Alice needs time to plan and execute a proper wedding. Then we need time for you to change and adjust…"

"Yes, I get it," she snapped before looking back at him. "I'll see you in a week then."

Again, he smiled and kissed her hand and she worked to stifle a shudder as he released her hand and stood.

"We'll be so happy Bella…Alice has seen it…"

She didn't bother looking at him as a sick feeling churned in her gut. "I have a week, Edward. You know the way out."

"I do love," he murmured. "Until then."

The stirring air in front of her was the only indication of his departure and she barely registered Damon's presence as he took the chair across from her.

After long moments, she finally spoke without looking at him. "You heard all of that?"

He nodded. "I did. You seemed to cave pretty easily…"

"I needed him gone," she stated flatly.

"Well played."

She nodded and absently ran a hand through Eddie's fur.

"So what are you gonna do, sweets?" he prompted. He had a stake in these developments too, after all, plus he hated to admit it, but he was starting to care… a little… kind-of… at least he thought so, now that he had a reason to reflect on the possibility.

She glanced at him and laughed humorlessly. "Honestly?"

He raised a brow. "Sure sweets. I'm a big boy. I can take it."

Her lip curled. "I'm half a mind to pack some shit and take a trip to Italy just to spite the fucker."

His brows shot up. "A life of servitude, Iz, really?"

She shot him a flat look. "And the alternative presented is so much better?"

He dipped his head and shrugged. "You got me there, doll. I can't imagine anyone wanting to be chained to that squirrel munching pussy for any length of time, much less eternity."

She snorted and he arched a brow. "_However_," he said pointedly, "from what I heard, and what you told me before, he's offering everything your starry-eyed teen self ever wanted…"

She scowled. "Yeah, well, getting my ass dumped kinda changed my perspective, Damon…

"I mean, yeah, his leaving and the _way_ he did it devastated me at the time, and if he'd come back within the first few months and made such an offer? I'd have probably fallen all over myself accepting it…."

"Not so much now, eh?"

She scoffed. "No, definitely not."

Damon laced his fingers together across his stomach as he relaxed into his seat, his thumbs tapping together as he studied her closely. "Sounds like wedded bliss is the only way to save their coven from the big, bad Italians, baby-cakes…"

Her eyes shot to his, sparkling with vindictive fury. "I don't give two fucks about saving them. Why should I? I've grown up a lot since Forks, Damon, and I fully realize that if their sparkly asses weren't on the line here, they'd probably let me burn."

He grinned, his blue eyes dancing with dark amusement. "Brava, Bella…well done. I was so hoping you'd see through that asshole, sweets."

"Yeah, well, I did. Problem is, I only have a week to figure out how to fuck them all, Italians included, and stay alive doing it."

Worried but determined brown locked with calculating ice-blue and her trepidation only grew as she watched a chilling smile curve his lips. "I think I can help you baby doll…

"…provided you help me first."

**Your thoughts?**

**Please review!**

**'Till next time, ~Spudz**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot and any original characters therein. No copyright infringement intended.**

**A/N: Love and thanks to all who voted for me and mine in this years Non-Canon Awards. I won't list them here, but if you're interested, they're all listed on my profile. Needless to say, I'm humbled and honored to have received them. Light and love, ~Spudz**

**Pre-read by the lovely Romantic Medievalist. Thank you sweets!**

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Previously:

He grinned, his blue eyes dancing with dark amusement. "Brava, Bella…well done. I was so hoping you'd see through that asshole, sweets."

"Yeah, well, I did. Problem is, I only have a week to figure out how to fuck them all and stay alive doing it."

Worried but determined brown locked with calculating ice-blue and her trepidation only grew as she watched a chilling smile curve his lips. "I think I can help you baby doll…

"…provided you help me first."

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**Chapter 7**

The sounds of a car pulling into her gravel driveway caught their attention and Damon's brows inched up. "Popular today, aren't we?"

"Apparently…" Bella muttered, her brows drawn in a frown as she went, drew back the gauzy drape and peeked out the window. "Shit," she cursed. "She promised to call first…"

"Who?" Damon asked as he leaned against the foyer doorframe.

Bella shot him a look over her shoulder. "Your girlfriend," she murmured while peering back out the window. "Looks like today is 'churn up the past' day for both of us…"

She peeked back at him. "You gonna chance being seen?" she asked, noting the shadow of apprehension in those ice-blue eyes.

"No," he answered, his tone clipped. "I'm less than worthless like this, so what's the point?" With that, he slipped into the room he'd been in when Edward was there, and Bella rubbed her brow and waited for the doorbell while stuffing down the guilt she now felt.

The bell rang causing Eddie to bark and she waited a few seconds before pulling the door open. "Elena," she greeted, her tone subdued as the girl smiled sheepishly.

"Hi Bella. I know you said to call first, but you never called me, so I didn't have your number, and I was starting to worry…"

Bella sighed and nodded, pulling the door wider. "Come on in," she offered, closing the door after her guest stepped through.

"Wow," the girl said, her gaze sweeping the foyer and staircase. "This place is great."

"Thanks," Bella murmured, feeling strangely exposed as she crossed her arms. "Can I offer you anything?" she asked while leading her guest through to the living room where they took seats.

"No, thanks. I'm meeting Stefan for dinner in a bit, so I really can't stay too long. I just wanted to make sure you were all right. No ones seen you around since I saw you at the diner and you never called."

Bella blew out a breath while running a hand through Eddie's fur. "Yeah, sorry about that. I just got busy with doing stuff around here, ya know? Still settling in…"

Elena looked around the space and nodded. "Yeah, I can see where you would. This place is massive."

"You've never been inside?"

Elena shook her head and leaned back in her chair. "No, your Aunt…well, she was rather…reclusive," she said, looking apologetic.

Bella smirked. "A family trait, I guess."

"One I hope to help you with," Elena said with a smile. "Which brings me to what I really wanted to talk to you about…"

Bella stifled a groan at the hopeful smile on the girl's face.

"A few of us are getting together at Stefan's for a movie night tomorrow and I wanted to invite you. It's totally informal, just pizza, snacks, movies and a couple of other good friends. Bonnie—you met her—will be there and a just a couple others…what do you say?"

Bella was already shaking her head before the girl was through speaking. "I—I really…" she trailed off, her eyes going slightly wide when Damon walked in, his eyes locked on their guest.

"Elena…" he breathed, and while Bella heard him easily, it was clear the girl in question remained oblivious.

"Bella? Bella, are you okay?" Elena asked, finally looking to where her host was staring. "Something wrong? You see something?"

Bella snapped her gaze from Damon and back to the perplexed looking girl. "What? Oh, uh, no, I'm fine. Just got distracted for a minute. Sorry."

"Okay," Elena drew out, her brows drawn in a frown. "So, movie night?"

Bella watched as Damon circled around Elena, his hand reaching out but stopping just shy of touching her hair. "Ask her about Stefan," he murmured, his eyes never leaving the girl he was obviously in love with.

Bella glared. "I really don't think that's a good idea."

"Why not?" Elena asked with a creased brow. "Come on, it's just movies with friends. No pressure, and if you start to feel uncomfortable, you can always leave. No one there will judge you, I promise," she said with a smile.

Damon's gaze shot to Bella's. "Ask her."

Bella's jaw tightened. "I need specifics," she ground out, her gaze still locked with Damon's. Elena frowned and slowly glanced over her shoulder at the thin air her host seemed to be glaring at before looking back at Bella.

"Oh, uh, well okay, let's see…It'll be me, Stefan of course, Bonnie, my brother Jeremy, Caroline, Matt…I think that's it. As for what we're gonna watch, it's the guys turn to pick, so I'm not sure…probably horror or action knowing them."

Damon rubbed a lock of Elena's hair between his fingers before looking at Bella. "Ask her…ask her if they're together."

"No, I don't wanna do that!" Bella hissed lowly before checking herself as she focused on her startled guest. "I mean…that's just too many people for me at once, ya know?"

Damon dropped the lock of hair and glared. "Ask her….please."

"Oh, wow, okay," Elena stuttered. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize it was that hard for you…yeah, sure though, I guess we'll start with something smaller, huh? Lunch or something? Just me, Stefan and maybe my brother? Ease you into things?"

"Please, Iz…" Damon implored and she dropped her head and sighed.

"I don't know why you wanna do this, but okay…"

Elena smiled. "Great!"

Bella's head shot up. "What?"

"You said okay…to lunch? That's great. It's a good start, anyway…"

"Oh." Bella frowned, hating how she was now roped into a damn social engagement, but there wasn't much she could do now, outside of being downright rude about it…damn it. "Yeah, I guess it is."

She sat back, doing her best to ignore the way Damon was staring a hole through her. "So, tell me about you and Stefan. I mean, if I'm gonna be spending time with you two, I'd like to, you know, _know_ a little first. It would make things easier for me."

"Oh, sure! I can do that. Let's see, I first dated Stefan when he'd just moved here. We were both still in high school then and I just couldn't resist when I saw him, ya know?" she said with a grin.

Bella smiled and nodded. "Yeah, from what I recall, he's very handsome."

Elena giggled. "That's the polite way of putting it, but yes, he is. Anyway, just as any couple, we went through our rough patches, especially when his asshole of a brother came to town," she said with a deep frown.

Bella's gaze flitted to Damon, who was still staring down at the girl as a thirsting man to water. He now had a bitter smirk on his face though and his eyes…they were filled with hurt and…resignation?

"His brother?" Bella cautiously questioned and the girl nodded.

"Yes. Damon was his name. Don't get me wrong, Damon was hot, but he was such a self-centered, arrogant, mean-spirited prick…I could hardly believe he and Stefan were related, much less brothers.

"Anyway, he caused a lot of trouble between Stefan and I, and to make a long story short, we broke up.

"Damon wouldn't leave me alone after that…a lot of unpleasant stuff happened, not all of it to do with relationships, but we were all involved…" she waved a hand, a sad look entering her eyes. "I don't really like thinking or talking about it all, but Damon ended up dying and I'll never say this in front of Stefan, because it would hurt him, but I'm just…_relieved_. Damon was…not a nice person and since he's been gone, Stefan and I have been able to reconnect."

She looked at Bella, her eyes full of pleading. "I know that probably makes me sound like a terrible person, but you would've had to know Damon to know what I mean. But now that he's gone, Stefan and I…well," she said as a tiny smile curved her lips, "things have been so _good_ between us…better than they ever were." Her smile widened. "I love him very much—more than I've ever loved anyone."

Bella smiled mechanically before chancing a glance at Damon whose face was now blank, the hand he'd been toying her hair with now clenched in a fist at his side.

"That's great," Bella offered her smiling, starry-eyed guest. "I'm…happy for you. Love like that is hard to find and even harder to keep."

Elena nodded. "Oh, I know. And to think we almost lost it, but things are so good now…" she locked her gaze with Bella. "I really think he's the one."

"Wow."

"Yeah," Elena agreed quietly before seemingly snapping herself from a daze as she glanced at her watch. "Crap, it's getting late…" She shot Bella a narrow-eyed smile. "You're strangely easy to talk to. I can't believe I told you all of that."

Bella shrugged. "Who am I gonna tell?"

Elena laughed. "True… Well," she said as she stood, "I really have to go. He begged me not to be late tonight, and if I don't leave now, I will be."

Bella got up and walked her to the door. "I'll call you," she promised as she held the door.

Elena turned and arched a brow.

"I swear," Bella said with a raised hand.

"Okay," Elena said as she stepped off the covered porch and walked to her car. "I'm gonna hold you to that!"

Bella closed the door and hung her head, dreading her return to the living room and Damon. Just what the hell _was_ all that? It's as though the girl didn't remember loving Damon at all… There was no grief, no remorse…just disdain and dislike, and Bella found that odd, to say the least.

"You can come back in here, Iz. I'm not gonna go all weepy on you, so don't worry."

She took a bracing breath and went in just as he flopped into the chair and grumbled, "Sure as fuck could use a drink or _ten_ about now though…"

Bella curled back into her seat and eyed Damon for a long moment. He simply stared at the floor, both hands resting on the arms of the chair.

"You okay?"

He scoffed and then smirked at her, his eyes sparkling like arctic ice. "Just peachy."

"What the hell _was_ that?" she finally asked, ignoring his obvious sarcasm. "Because that wasn't a girl mourning her lost love, Damon. It's like she never loved you at all."

"Wow, just drive a stake in my bleeding heart while you're at it, Iz," he quipped with a sardonic smirk.

Her gaze dropped to her lap and she nodded. "Sorry, I guess tact isn't my strong suit these days…"

He scoffed, raising an inky brow. "Ya think?"

Reaching over, she picked up her mug of cooled tea and took a sip, wrinkling her nose at it before setting it back down. With a glance back at him, she decided to try again. "So, I never asked you this, but how long has it been? I mean, she seems to be completely over you, at the very least…"

He looked up and smirked. "You know, alcohol would make this _ever_ so much easier…"

"You can't drink…"

He glared. "You're right…and who's fault is that?"

She sighed deeply. "Damon, I didn't cause this…"

"No, but you can fix it."

She frowned. "You don't know that."

"Bullshit baby-cakes. You brought me halfway even after screwing up." He leaned forward, elbows resting on knees. "Just imagine what you could do if you did it _right_."

She tossed up a hand. "Fine! I'll try one more time, but if that doesn't work, you have to figure something else out."

"Fine."

"Good."

"Good."

They stared at each other for moments before Bella quirked a brow. "So, now you answer questions without deflecting. How long has it been?"

He sat back, staring at the floor again, his eyes dead and face blank. "A few months," he muttered.

"A few months?"

He nodded. "Yeah, four…four months.."

"That's it?!"

He slowly nodded. "That's it."

"So, what do you think happened? I mean, from what you told me days ago, she truly loved you…"

His head snapped up, those blue eyes piercing her. "She did love me. I know she did…"

"Thus my questions…people don't just stop loving someone like _that_, Damon, not in four short months…

"I know!" he yelled then mellowed his volume and tone, "I know…"

Leaning forward, he dropped his head into his hands and slowly shook it. "I don't know what happened…" His head came up, his eyes locking with hers, "But I'm sure as hell gonna find out, just as soon as I have a body back."

She nodded and stood. "Let's go then."

She began walking toward the stairs with Damon following when Eddie went nuts barking as he ran to the front door. "Jesus, what now…" she muttered just as the doorbell rang.

Damon narrowed his eyes, staring toward the door. "I didn't hear a car."

"Me either," she said as she walked over and pulled the door open.

Damon stood back and watched as Bella held the door and hung her head. "What do you want, Alice?"

"Bella, it's so good to see you! But…god, what are you wearing?! It's even worse than what you used to wear."

Bella looked up and arched a brow. "Really? You came here to criticize my clothes?"

"No, that wasn't it at all. May I come in?"

Bella swung her hand toward the living room. "Sure, why the hell not?"

"Thanks," the petite cold one quipped as she stepped in.

"The living room's this way," Bella muttered while putting the dog out before leading her guest in.

She took her usual seat on the couch before waving Alice into a chair. "Are the rest of you here?"

Alice shook her head. "No, just me and Edward."

Bella nodded. "Good to hear. So get to it then…what do you want?"

Alice frowned. "Bella, you were going to do something just now, I don't know what it was but it was going to alter things so completely…nothing was right! All the visions of you with Edward…you being with us…the wedding…everything just vanished!"

Bella quirked a brow and shot a quick glance at Damon who was casually leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed over his chest and one raven brow arched. If Bella had to guess, his thoughts were taking the same path hers were… "Yeah? What a shame," she uttered flatly.

"I had to stop you! I don't know what it was you were planning on doing, but it causes your future to just disappear! I couldn't get anything!"

Bella looked down and slowly nodded, her face blank and mind racing through the possibilities. If performing the ritual and bringing Damon back had such a result, frankly, she couldn't get up those fucking stairs fast enough…

Raising her head, she gazed at the psychic coldly. "It's probably just a temporary glitch or something Alice. You see, my Great-Aunt was a witch and when you arrived, I was simply going to spend some time in her special room up stairs, going through things—you know, seeing what I want to keep or get rid of—that sort of thing. The room though, is set up with certain supernatural safeguards and barriers, if you will, that probably mess with your visions."

Alice's brow creased and she looked away, staring into the distance for a moment. "Huh, maybe you're right…"

Bella stood. "I really think I am, Alice. Now, if I recall, Edward and I had an agreement that I had a week to think—vampire free, so I'll show you out with the further understanding that you'll also honor that agreement."

Alice stood and blinked at her before nodding. "Okay Bella, but after that, you're free game. I have a wedding to plan, and from the looks of you, an entire wardrobe to outfit, and not a lot of time to do it."

"Whatever you say, Alice," she muttered as she shuffled to the door and opened it. "This week's mine though, so scram, a.k.a. get the fuck out and don't come back, I don't care if the fucking sky is falling, the Russians press the nuke button or Jesus himself makes an appearance, got it?"

Alice turned, frowning at her as Damon snickered in the background. "You're very…cynical now, Bella, you know that?"

She smirked. "Why, thank you Alice. That's the nicest thing anyone's said to me in recent memory." With that, she ushered the dog in, closed the door and headed upstairs.

"Really? You wouldn't wanna go see Jesus?" Damon asked through a snicker as he followed her into the room.

She shot him a look before taking up the book and parking in a chair to read. "Quiet. I need to concentrate."

"You have matches—ya know—to light the _candles_?" he muttered in her ear before taking the other chair in the room.

Waving a hand, she shushed him and continued reading.

**Your thoughts?**

**Please review! **

**'Till next time, ~Spudz**


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot and any original characters therein. No copyright infringement intended.

A/N: Another chapter. Keep the reviews coming, I'll keep the chapters coming. :-) Thanks and love to those who take the time to leave comments. You fuel the fire, truly. Love and light, ~Spudz

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_Previously:_

_She shot him a look before taking up the book and parking in a chair to read. "Quiet. I need to concentrate."_

_"You have matches—ya know—to light the candles?" he muttered in her ear before taking the other chair in the room._

_Waving a hand, she shushed him and continued reading._

_._

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_._

**Chapter 8**

Forty minutes later, the rug was rolled back, the candles in place, and she'd even added some moon-charged crystals to the ritual circle, just in case. "Okay, this is it," she said, her eyes nervously darting to Damon as he sat and watched.

"Matches, sweets, don't forget…"

She raised a hand. "Light the candles, yes I know, but before I do," she looked at him with worry filled eyes, "I wanted to make sure you're ready for this."

His brow pinched and he fingered his chin. "Hmm, let me think…"

Dropping the pretense when she glared, he rolled his eyes. "Of course I'm ready."

"You don't need to be such an ass, okay. I'm just worried… I mean, what if something goes really wrong and you disappear completely or something?"

He smirked. "Why, little Miss Isabella, am I _growing_ on you?! Would you miss me?"

Her brow creased and something ached in her chest. "Yes, you jackass, I would, okay?" She looked away but startled a second later at the slight buzz of energy she felt when he stepped toward her and took her hand.

"I'm sorry," he murmured as she looked back at him. Her breath caught as he slowly turned her hand palm up and placed a soft kiss on her wrist before glancing up through inky lashes, those icy-blues filled with sincerity. "I'd miss you too, Iz."

Her eyes got mysteriously misty and she cleared her throat as he released her hand and stepped back. "Okay then," she whispered past the lump in her throat, "time to light it up and kick this bitch off, yeah?"

He smiled, one side of his lips quirked slightly higher than the other as he nodded. "Let's do this, baby doll."

One by one, with shaking hands, she lit the candles, tossing the matches over to the side as she stood and centered herself in the circle. She'd memorized the chant, so with a last deep breath, she closed her eyes, spread her arms palms up, and began.

Almost immediately, she felt the difference. There was a tremendous pull at the very center of her body, with lesser tugs from her wrists, heart and brow. It didn't hurt per se, but it was draining.

On the third repetition of the chant, a soft, swirling breeze began to circle her body and she instinctively raised her voice while tipping her head back.

What she couldn't see, but Damon could, was the glow that surrounded her and, to his shock, his own body. It grew brighter as the ritual progressed, and he had to grit his teeth against the blinding light and pain that finally gripped him as she began the seventh and final recitation.

When she finally uttered the closing prayer to seal the ritual, the candles flared and extinguished and she blinked open her eyes. Turning her head, she looked at Damon's solid form with glazed eyes, blinked slowly and smiled.

"You okay, doll?" he asked, but before she could answer, her eyes rolled back and she crumpled.

Darting forward, he caught her in his arms and lifted her, one hand smoothing some hair from her face. "You did it, stubborn girl," he whispered before kissing her brow. "Thank you…"

.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

.

Bella drifted back to consciousness slowly, stretching her muscles languidly before rolling to her side to snuggle her pillow. She hadn't slept so soundly or dreamlessly in…well, she couldn't remember when.

Covering a wide yawn, she rolled back over and opened her eyes, her brows drawing down when she caught the scent of coffee and…was that bacon?

In a rush, events from the day before came back to her and she shot up wondering just how the hell she got into bed. "I must have finished the ritual…" she muttered while running her hands through her tousled hair. "I sure as hell don't remember finishing it…"

Flipping back the blankets, she stood from her bed and blushed. "Shit," she whispered as she looked down at herself. She was in nothing but a t-shirt and panties.

"Damon…" she grumbled before heading into her bathroom to shower and get ready for the day.

She emerged a half hour later dressed in jeans and an Incubus t-shirt, her hair loose and towel dried enough to be decent as it hung in loose curls down her back.

Trotting down the stairs, there was now no mistaking the smell of breakfast food and coffee, so she made her way to the kitchen to see Damon sitting at the table, reading the paper. "Food's in the oven and the dog's outside. I fed him too," he muttered as she poured a cup of coffee for herself before sitting across from him with an arched brow.

"So, I guess I was successful, huh?"

He put down the paper and spread his arms. "Behold, a fully corporeal Damon Salvatore, at your service," he said with a regal nod.

She smirked behind the rim of her cup before taking a sip of the pungent brew. "Welcome back to the land of the living…or the living-non-living…undead…whatever," she said with a wave, "just welcome back."

"Thanks Iz. It's good to be back."

Standing from her seat, she bustled around getting some juice and her warm plate from the oven before resuming her seat, one leg folded under her as she sprinkled black pepper over her scrambled eggs. "This looks great, thanks."

He hmm'ed acknowledgement while skimming the local news. "I figured you could use some food that hadn't seen the inside of a microwave." His eyes darted to her and he smirked. "Do you even know how to cook?"

She nodded and swallowed, taking a quick sip of juice before speaking. "I do. I've been cooking since I could reach the stove. My mother burns water and Charlie—my dad—wasn't much better so it was either cook, live on take out, or starve. I'm pretty decent at it, but cooking for one depresses me."

She eyed him curiously as he turned a page. "Do you eat?"

"Sure," he muttered, his eyes still skimming the page. "I prefer a culturally diverse diet too…and beautiful, they have to be beautiful."

She rolled her eyes. "Food, Damon, do you eat food?"

"Yeah, that too."

She toyed with a bite on her plate. "Have you already had some blood?"

"Yep. I was up and outta here before the sun rose. I couldn't wait." He eyed her over the edge of the paper. "It'd been way too long and frankly, you were smelling like a buffet to a starving man—literally."

She set down her fork and took a sip of coffee. "Nothing new to me, though it has been a while since I've had to worry about that."

He folded the paper and set it down. "Yeah, seemed like twinkle-tit was having a hard time being around you."

She snorted while turning her juice glass. "He once compared me to being like a drug to him—his own personal brand of heroin or some shit."

Damon raised a brow. "Charming."

She waved a hand. "Right? What the hell was I thinking?" she grumbled with a deep frown.

"You were a teen in first love, sweets. Don't beat yourself up over it."

"Yeah, I guess," she muttered before finishing off her breakfast. When she was done, she set the dishes in the sink and slid back into her chair, her curiosity nearly overwhelming. "So," she finally began, "did you—did you kill anyone?"

His gaze shot from the paper to her and she nearly lost her nerve. If she'd thought those eyes were penetrating on a ghostly Damon, they were nothing to the real thing. "Today…" she muttered, "I meant today."

Setting the paper aside he stared at her for a moment before deciding to just lay it all out and be brutally honest. "Yes, the first one. I was beyond thirsty and there was just no stopping once I started. And as long as I'm being honest here Bella, you need to know, I've killed a lot of people over the years, not all of them what you—or anyone—would term innocent. I'm a vampire, sweets and this is how most of us live."

He watched her as she stared down at her lap before nodding.

"Is this going to be a deal breaker, Iz?"

She thought about that for a long moment before shaking her head. "No."

She met his gaze and his brows inched up. "Really? Because I've heard that before; it's one thing to say the words and another entirely to live it."

She nodded. "That may be true, but you know I've had a lot of time to think about this. There was a time when all I'd wanted was to be changed, and yeah, Edward's family live differently than most of their kind, but I had to consider that I would want to kill—that I may kill—at least at first…and this will probably sound weird, but I made peace with that."

She took a sip from her mug before meeting his eyes again. "So yes, I realize what it means to be a vampire—perhaps not in practice, but certainly in theory and I've come to accept it." She smirked. "Just keep your teeth outta me and we'll be fine."

He grinned. "You sure? You don't know what you're missing, baby doll."

She swallowed a snort. "Then I can't miss it, can I?"

He quirked a brow and cocked his head. "Ya got me there."

He sat back and crossed his arms, ready to address the real issues. "So, now that we've solved my biggest problem, what about yours?"

She sighed and stared at the coffee cup she had clutched in both hands. "Good question," she muttered.

"I offered my help, sweets and I meant it."

She met his eyes. "How can you possibly help me? They're strong, Damon, and I haven't found any spells in that book that will stop them. Even if I did know what I was doing—and I don't—I don't think it would do any good." She shook her head. "It seems my only choice is which group of them I'd rather be chained to," she murmured, her tone one of defeat as she stared off in the distance.

He scoffed and shot her a dark look.

"What?" she asked, her brow pinched at the way he was looking at her.

"So, what? You're just gonna give up?"

Her brows rose. "What am I supposed to do?" she asked, tossing a hand in the air. "Oh, I suppose I could off myself—one last 'fuck you' to all of them, but that's not too appealing to me, Damon. Despite being as fucked up as I am, I've discovered I kinda like living, thanks."

"You say they're strong?" She nodded and he leaned forward with a smirk. "I'm stronger, sweets, and faster, more talented, and _infinitely_ better looking," he bragged with a wink as he sat back, grinning as she laughed.

"You forgot humble in your list of attributes, Mr. Salvatore."

He shrugged a shoulder. "I can be that too, but it's not my favorite, I admit."

She sent him a wry smirk. "I'm sure."

"All joking aside, Iz, I had a point—one I want you to think about…"

She cocked a brow. "And that is…?"

He cocked his head, his eyes boring into hers. "You can become what I am."

Her eyes widened. "You're offering?"

He flipped a hand up with a nod as he sat back. "Sure, why not? I owe you, Iz and I'd hate to see you trapped in a life you'll hate with no way out. It's bullshit and no one should have to face something like that."

The next thing he knew, his arms were full of his little witch as she clutched herself to him, her face tucked into his shoulder. "Thank you," she breathed as his arms slowly circled her, one hand burying itself in her thick curls.

He closed his eyes, dipped his head and took in her scent and it did something to his insides; something he didn't want to examine too closely at the moment.

She finally pulled away and sat back in her chair. "So, when do we do this? Does it take long? I know it takes three days for Edward's type to change and it supposedly hurts like hell—literally, so…"

He held up a hand. "Whoa, cool your jets, baby-cakes and I'll tell you."

She looked sheepish. "Sorry, I'm just a little excited, I guess."

His brows inched up. "Just a little…"

She flipped him off and he smirked. "Much better, doll. That's the Iz I know and love. Now, it's really not that complicated. I give you some of my blood and then kill you." She choked on a sip of coffee and he smoothly ignored it. "You'll wake up, usually in a day or so, and then you feed on human blood to seal the deal. Voila! You're a vamp."

Her brows shot up. "That's it? No burning pain for days?"

"Nope—well, you'll probably wake up with one hell of a headache, but that generally goes away when you feed."

"Hell yes! When do we start?"

"Hang on," he said with a raised hand. "There's more to consider."

She narrowed her eyes. "I knew it."

He rolled his eyes. "It's nothing bad, really, just a few details we need to iron out before you join the club, that's all."

"Like what?"

"Well, for one thing, you'll need something like this," he held up his hand and tapped his ring, "unless you wanna truly be a creature of the night."

Her brow creased. "What does a ring have to do with anything?"

"This ring is spelled, sweets, and allows me to walk in the sunlight without toasting myself. Believe me, you don't want to experience that. It hurts like hell."

"Spelled, you mean from a witch?"

"Yep, and I'm betting the spell is somewhere in your dusty old book upstairs, so you can make the thing yourself. All you need is the ring—well, unless of course you prefer a bracelet or necklace, but I really recommend a ring; less likely to lose it if you find yourself in a fight."

She stared down at her lap, her teeth nipping her lower lip, the sight of which was doing uncomfortable things to Damon's groin as he watched. He needed to get laid, and soon…

Finally, she looked up. "Maybe I should do more than one piece, you know, to have a spare?"

He nodded. "Not a bad idea, considering your mojo may not carry over to your vampire self."

Her eyes went wide. "Really? I might lose it?"

"Experience says you probably will, Iz. I'm sorry."

She breathed deeply before nodding. "It's not like it's my life…I mean, it was all pretty new to me, so it's not like I'll really miss it…"

He nodded. "I'll test the pieces you make before we turn you. If they don't work out—which I highly doubt—but just in case, I know a witch that can make one for you. She hates me, but she'll do it. She owes me one anyway, so she better."

She nodded. "Can it be any ring?"

"No, which means we need to go shopping. We'll go to the next town over though. I'm not in the mood to tangle with the locals yet. I'll wait until you wake and take you with me for the big reveal. It'll be more fun that way," he finished with a smirk.

She could see the apprehension in his eyes though, but didn't call him on it. She knew he was still hurting over the developments with Elena and she'd be damned if she'd cause him even more pain. She knew what that was like, after all. "Sounds like a plan," she said with a smile. "When do you want to go?"

He got up and spread his arms. "No time like the present. Grab your shit, get rid of the fuzzy slippers, and let's go."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Two hours later, and the drive back was tense, to say the least. While their shopping had gone well, Damon had insisted on 'picking up dinner' for her first meal which would explain said tension and the two glassy-eyed thugs in the back seat of her truck. She'd insisted on bad guys, and Damon had happily found some for her.

Her knuckles were white on the wheel and she couldn't help but glance at them in the rearview mirror every few seconds. They freaked her out. They'd caught them beating and robbing an old man at gunpoint and Damon had taken care of them, relieving them of their guns and doing whatever it was that turned them into the compliant vegetables they were now.

When she glanced in the mirror yet again, Damon rolled his eyes. "Would you stop?! They're not gonna do anything, trust me."

He reached back and firmly smacked one on the cheek. The thug didn't even flinch. "See?" he said, settling back in his seat before changing the station on the radio.

Turning loose of the wheel with one hand, she shook it out and flexed it before switching off to work the kinks out of the other one. "Okay, I trust you…it's just weird, ya know? I've never abducted anyone before, so cut me some slack."

He smirked. "Don't worry Izzy-B, stick with me and you'll be a veteran in no time."

She snorted and glanced in the mirror again. "If Charlie could see me now…" she muttered dryly.

He eyed her for a moment. "Wasn't it a thug just like them that…"

She cut him off, her answer more of a growl than anything, "Yeah, it was."

"I get it, and it's okay. If that's what'll make this easier, then more power to you…although I prefer a more appetizing package myself," he finished with a wrinkled nose.

She smirked at him while shooting him a quick glance. "You would."

"I am what I am and I make no apologies," he said with a decidedly wicked grin.

She shook her head. "Never change, Damon. I wouldn't know how to take you if you did."

With a blink, he turned and studied her for a moment. No one had ever _not_ wanted or expected him to change in some way to suit their expectations or morals…_ever_. Needless to say, he was startled by her words. "You mean that?"

Her brow pinched and she looked at him before looking back at the road. "Yeah, I do. Why should you change for anyone? If people don't accept you for who you really are, then they don't deserve to be in your life."

"Thanks, Iz."

"No need to thank me," she answered. "I spent enough time around a vampire who hated himself and did everything he could to repress every trait that made him who and what he is. It turned him into the brooding, self-hating being he is today, and that's definitely something I'd rather avoid." She looked at him. "Can you imagine over a hundred years of hating yourself?"

Damon nodded. "I know someone just like that. Admittedly, when he goes off the rails, he does it in spectacular fashion, so I can sort of see why he's afraid to let himself be."

Bella's brow pinched and she glanced at him. "Couldn't that be his whole problem though? I mean, it's like a dieter that denies themselves anything considered tasty or decadent, like desserts. Well, when they finally do let loose, they go way overboard, or give up completely and binge, putting themselves in a worse state than if they had simply ate what they wanted to all along in moderation."

He shrugged a shoulder. "Makes sense."

"That's how I see it, anyway, so I'm not gonna spend my life denying who and what I am or catering to everyone elses needs. I had enough of that growing up, especially with Renee."

They pulled into her driveway and Damon hopped out and led her 'dinner' into the house while she let Eddie out and put her shopping away. The rings she took upstairs, placing them on the altar until she could get to them.

When she got back downstairs, she heard noises in the kitchen so made her way there. "What are you doing?" she asked with a grin as Damon finished up loading the dishwasher.

"We didn't clean up from breakfast."

"Well, thanks, but you didn't have to. I would've done it."

"Nah, you need to spell those rings. You want some dinner?"

She shrugged. "Sure."

"Good, you go do the rings and when you're through, dinner should be done."

She raised a brow. "You're cooking again?"

"Yeah," he said, digging around in the fridge. "I've missed it and I make a mean spaghetti bolognese," he finished with a smirk and a glance as he pulled out a cutting board.

"Okay, well, I'll just…get to it then." She went upstairs into 'that room' and quickly found the spell she needed, reading over it a few times before finally trying it out. It took a bit out of her, since she was doing two rings for herself and an extra for Damon. That one was a surprise he knew nothing about, but it was something she wanted to do for him…as a _friend_. She actually snorted when she thought that, but she couldn't afford to have feelings for him. He was in love with Elena…

With a sigh, she placed the spelled rings back on the altar and went back downstairs, happily breathing in the aroma of dinner as it wafted through the house. "God, that smells good," she said as she walked into the kitchen.

Damon was sitting at the table, playing with the new phone he'd picked up while they were shopping. He glanced up with an arched brow. "All done?"

She nodded and took a seat.

"Good, go get them. There's just enough light to try them out before we eat. The sooner we get this over with, the sooner I can turn you."

"Agreed," she said with a resolute nod. "Because I'm still not convinced Alice and Edward will stay away if she should catch a glimpse of what's going on."

She trotted up the stairs, got the two rings she'd done for herself and came back down, handing them to him when he stood. "Be back in a bit. Set the table and pour the wine while I'm gone."

"Good luck," she said as she took down plates and glasses.

When he came back in a while later, Eddie faithfully trailing behind him, he looked perfectly fine. "They work like a charm, Iz," he said as she sipped her wine, her eyes lingering on how positively tight his ass was in the new jeans he was wearing.

"Iz?" He waved a hand in her face, his smirk positively evil when she finally focused on his face. "You okay there, sweetheart?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, fine…" she muttered, feeling like an ass for getting caught looking…again.

"Whatever you say…" he quipped with a smirk as he plated the food.

They began eating, and she had to stifle a moan. "God, this is soooo good."

"You had doubts?" he asked with a cocked brow.

She shrugged. "A few."

He leaned forward and her heart sped at the look in his eyes. "When I say I'm good…I'm _good_, Izzy-B."

Her eyes widened then narrowed. "Slow your roll there, Casanova. We're talking about spaghetti here, nothing else."

"Maybe _you_ are…" he muttered with a smirk while spinning a fork in his pasta.

"So," she said, deciding to steer the subject to something safer, "we eat, clean up, I drink some of your blood," she wrinkled her nose, "and then you kill me. Is that about right?"

He nodded nonchalantly. "Sounds right to me, barring any interruptions of course."

A thought occurred to her and she set her fork down before taking a sip of wine. "Should I really be eating? I mean, I'm essentially gonna die with food in my stomach…" she said, feeling said food churn uncomfortably at the thought.

Damon was undisturbed as he swallowed and took a healthy pull from his wine glass. "If it doesn't settle well, you'll get rid of it when you wake."

Her lip curled at the mental picture that gave her. "Joy." She got up and rinsed the plate before loading it in the dishwasher. Damon had just pushed his plate away so she grabbed it and loaded it too before starting on the rest of the clean up.

Taking his time finishing his wine, Damon eyed her for a while before getting up and laying a hand on her arm. She paused and looked at him. "You okay?" he asked, sincerely.

She blinked and bit her lip while tossing a drying towel aside. "Yeah, I think so. I'm just nervous, ya know? But I'll be all right."

He shocked her then by pulling her into a hug. "It'll be okay, you'll see. I won't let anything happen to you, and I promise to help you out when you wake up. I won't abandon you, okay Iz?" He gently held her away to see her face and she nodded gratefully, feeling a huge weight lift, especially as he pulled her back into his arms.

It felt nice, being held like this and Bella soaked it up, taking in his comforting strength, warmth and scent. "What if Edward and Alice show up while I'm turning?"

She felt him shrug. "I kick their asses, simple as that sweets."

She laughed into his chest and he carded his fingers through her hair. "You'll be okay sweet girl, don't worry," he whispered into her hair before placing a kiss there and her heart fluttered as her eyes closed.

God, how she wished he wasn't in love with someone else…

"Are you ready?"

She nodded and backed away. "Yeah, let's do this."

With that, he bit into his wrist and held it to her lips. As she drank, their eyes locked and when she pulled away licking her lips, he smiled and caressed her cheek, his eyes flitting over her features, taking her in. "See you on the other side," he murmured after moments while gently cupping her head in his hands.

"Okay," she agreed, her voice nothing but a whisper as deep brown stared into ice blue. The next thing she heard was a crack and darkness consumed her.

**Your thoughts?**

**Please review!**

**'Till next time, ~Spudz**


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot and any original characters therein. No copyright infringement intended.

_Previously:_

_"See you on the other side," he murmured after moments while gently cupping her head in his hands._

_"Okay," she agreed, her voice nothing but a whisper as deep brown stared into ice blue. The next thing she heard was a crack and darkness consumed her._

_._

* * *

.

**Chapter 9 *There's a nod to the movie The Big Lebowski (one of my faves) in this chapter. Can you find it?*  
**

If ever there was a day when waking up was a bitch, this was the day, Bella thought as she came to gradually with the most massive headache on record pounding against her skull.

"Ho-ly fuuuuck," she moaned as she grabbed her head. "Never drinking again…"

Her whole body stiffened when she heard a distinctly familiar snicker coming from the pillow beside her and her eyes flashed open the same moment she sucked in a sharp breath, staring resolutely at the ceiling as her mind raced to figure this situation out. "Why are you in my bed, Damon? Did I really drink that much?" she choked out.

She chanced a glance over and sure enough, there he was, in all his bare chested glory—And sweet baby Jesus with an entire fucking host of angels, was he ever glorious!—one arm propped behind his head, the sheet, regretfully, covering his lower half.

_'If we did something Bella and you were too drunk to remember, I'll find a way to kick my own ass!'_ she mentally chided herself as she slammed her eyes shut and tugged her hair.

"Relax, sweet cheeks. Nothing happened—well outside you dying that is. Ringing any bells?"

She bit her lip and looked back at his smirking face, her eyes wide as the details rushed in. His smirk widened to a full blown grin. "I see you remember now."

"I'm a vampire…" she breathed.

He rolled to his side and propped his head in his hand. "Yes and no. You need to feed to seal the deal, remember? That should take care of that drum line that's currently beating a rhythm in your head too."

She glanced back at him, a frown tugging her lips as her eyes traced from his face to his defined chest and slowly down to the sheet at his waist. She couldn't remember resenting a sheet so much in her life.

A set of snapping fingers in her line of sight brought her focus back to his grinning face. "You still with me, Iz?"

She sneered. "How is it that men can look so good in the morning?" He snickered and she grumbled, "No fucking justice in this world…" while sitting up and sliding her legs over the side of the bed, just knowing that she probably looked like she'd been dragged through a hedge backwards.

"You're a cranky little thing when you wake up, aren't you?"

"Shut it, you," she muttered over her shoulder before standing and stumbling, her equilibrium now obviously not quite there yet. "Shit…" she mumbled while closing her eyes to center herself and hopefully stop the room from tilting.

"Take it slow until you adjust. It's not everyday you have your neck snapped, doll-face. Just stand there and breathe a minute."

The second he quit talking, her stomach rolled and she took off for the bathroom, just barely getting the seat up on the toilet in time for her stomach to empty.

When she was through, a hand with a cool, wet cloth intruded into her line of sight and she grabbed it, bathing her face and mouth before flushing and getting to her feet. "Thanks," she croaked before rinsing her mouth and brushing her teeth.

As she patted her face dry, she looked over where he was propped against the door frame, looking like some kind of model with his arms crossed over that delectable chest and sleep pants slung low on trim, defined hips. "Feel better?"

She shot him a flat look while leaning on the bathroom vanity. "I feel like the back side of shit, Damon, thanks for asking."

He nodded. "You need blood and there's no use in waiting."

Her brow creased. "Shouldn't I shower first?"

He arched a brow. "Trust me sweets, blood now, shower after. It'll be more efficient that way."

She hung her head. "All right."

He turned and walked out. "Follow me, Iz. I doubt you wanna do this in your bedroom."

When they were half way down the stairs, she caught the scent of what she knew to be the two humans Damon had stashed in her study. She would've sped past him if he hadn't clamped a hand on her arm. "Control, sweets…use your mind rather than those raw instincts… You own them, they don't own you."

With a clenched jaw, she steeled herself against the need and nodded. "Okay, yeah, I got this…"

"Good," he chirped and they continued on, gaining the first floor and passing the living room at a human pace.

He opened the door and stepped back. "Take it slow, doll. Keep your mind in the game. Bite, but try not to destroy them in the process."

She nodded and went to pass him but he stopped her, his eyes locking with hers. "Most of all, remember, this is your first time. You're gonna kill them and despite trying to be neat about it, it'll probably be messy. Don't internalize this, Iz. Like everything else in this world, there's a learning curve."

She arched a brow and smirked. "Thanks coach."

He rolled his eyes and let her go with a shrug. "It's your carpet, sweets."

She paused and eyed said carpet. It was a very old, but well-kept oriental number; one she was quite fond of, to be honest. It really tied the room together…

She frowned and turned to Damon.

His brows inched up. "Problems?"

"Can I do this outside?" she whined as Eddie crept in and sniffed her hand. She patted his head and his tail thumped heavily against the side of the couch the veggie-thugs were slumped on.

With a put upon sigh, Damon hauled both thugs to their feet. "Come on, Miss Picky, outside it is."

An hour later, she emerged from her bedroom, freshly showered and dressed in hip-hugging jeans and a moderately snug Rolling Stones t-shirt. She felt incredible, especially since her head no longer felt as though there was an axe firmly lodged brain-stem deep in it.

Yeah, once Damon'd gotten them outside, she'd summarily drained both thugs. Yes, it'd been sort of messy. No, she didn't feel an ounce of guilt over it.

She grinned. They'd been damned tasty.

As she made her way down stairs, she could smell coffee and food cooking and her grin widened. Who knew Damon Salvatore enjoyed being so domestic?

When she entered the kitchen, he was flipping a pancake. "Here, I got you this," he said, holding out a hand-sized draw-string bag he'd pulled from his pocket while minding the stove.

She opened it and cocked a brow. "A flask?" She clutched it to her chest and batted her lashes. "Oh Damon, you shouldn't have!" she gushed.

He smirked and plated the pancake on the stack. "Please try to contain yourself, Iz. Don't need you getting all swoony on me," he finished with an eye-roll.

She swallowed a snort. "So, really…why a flask?"

He expertly flipped another pancake. "Carry your booze of choice, Iz. It takes the edge off the craving, until you can take care of it for real. Keeps the friends and neighbors alive."

"Ah, got it. Thanks," she said as she slid into a chair and poured a cup of coffee, just then noticing her name beautifully engraved in the other side of the silver flask. It really was a thoughtful—if friend-zoney type—gift and a soft smile curved her lips as she absently lifted her cup and took a sip. It showed he cared at least, and for now, that's all she could ask for.

"So, what's up for today?" she muttered absently while skimming the headlines on the folded paper.

He set the food in the center of the table and took a seat. "I dunno," he said while filling his plate. "We could roam around a bit—make sure you're not gonna lose your shit before visiting the Grill."

"The Mystic Grill?"

"That's the one."

She eyed him cautiously. "You ready for that?"

He gave her an exaggerated smile, the look in his eyes a bit manic. "Absolutely, I'm beyond ready. Why wouldn't I be?"

She shrugged a shoulder and poked at the pancake on her plate. "I dunno, just seems like the pain would be a bit too…fresh?"

He scoffed. "This is nothing, Iz, trust me. I've been here before, believe me. I survived it then and I'll survive it now. Besides, this isn't over by a long shot. Something happened and I have a feeling I know what it was. Once I figure out the 'who', I'll move onto the 'why'. Once I know that, it's just a matter of fixing it."

She stared at him flatly for a long moment. "The last part of what you said was about as clear as mud, but okay. We'll do whatever you need to do."

"Good." He stood and held out a hand to her. "Let's go stir up some shit, Izzy-poo."

**Yeah, it's a bit short. Apologies,**

**but an anonymous reviewer pissed me off,**

**and I lost the taste for writing for the day.**

**Leave a review if you want,**

**~Spudz**


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot and any original characters therein. No copyright infringement intended.

A/N: Thanks for all of your support last chapter. You guys rock and I love you. Hope you find the chapter enjoyable. Drop me a review and let me know, yeah? Love and light, ~Spudz

.

* * *

.

_Previously:_

_"This is nothing, Iz, trust me. I've been here before, believe me. I survived it then and I'll survive it now. Besides, this isn't over by a long shot. Something happened and I have a feeling I know what it was. Once I figure out the 'who', I'll move onto the 'why'. Once I know that, it's just a matter of fixing it."_

_She stared at him flatly for a long moment. "The last part of what you said was about as clear as mud, but okay. We'll do whatever you need to do."_

_"Good." He stood and held out a hand to her. "Let's go stir up some shit, Izzy-poo."_

_._

* * *

_._

Chapter 10

"So, yeah, this is fun…"

Damon shot her a look and she just knew he was rolling his eyes by the angled tilt of his lips. She couldn't see a damn thing though due to the dark glasses he was sporting, not to mention the fedora he had perched low over his brow.

She smirked at him and went back to licking her ice cream, her dangling legs swinging back and forth from the edge of the picnic table they sat on. "Why are we being so stealthy again? I thought the goal was to stir some shit?"

He looked at her and frowned, watching closely as her perfect pink tongue poked out and did things to that damned ice cream that was, in turn, now doing things to a certain part of his anatomy. He nearly hissed as he looked away. "It's all in the timing, sweets…" he muttered. "Gotta wait until the gang's all here."

She shrugged. "Got it," she said and he looked back at her just as her plump, red lips closed over the peak of the frosty, white ice cream. His hand clenched where it rested atop his thigh and he stifled a groan.

"Could you please hurry up with that?" he pleaded, his tone inexplicably tight as he looked back toward the Grill across the street.

She stopped eating and blinked at him for a moment before a sly grin curved her lips. "Am I making you uncomfortable, Damon?"

He refused to look at her. "What?! No…it's just…they might get here any minute and we need to be ready to go."

She grinned widely, taking note of the tension in his body as he sat next to her. "Uh huh…if you say so," she sang, enjoying the thrill of turning the tables on him for once. "Would you like some?" she asked, taking a long lick around the slowly melting confection, her eyes locked on him as he turned his head to look at her.

He made a choking noise before clearing his throat. "No, it's all yours doll. You look like…you're enjoying it." A muscle ticked in his jaw as he looked away and her eyes lit with amusement.

"Oh…I am," she said, her voice purposely low and throaty. This was all new to her, but she was catching on quickly and found she rather liked pressing his buttons…especially these particular buttons. "Are you sure? It's really…good…" she breathed while subtly leaning into him, her sweet, warm breath tickling the hair over his ear as she spoke.

She nearly squawked when he growled and snatched the cone from her hand, devouring the thing in one bite as she gawked at him, her eyes wide and mouth a perfect O of shock. When he'd finished, he pulled down his shades, stared into her eyes and gave her a wicked smirk. "You're right, Izzy-poo. It was really good," he leaned in close, his voice a gritty murmur in her ear as he delivered the killing blow, "especially the part that tasted of you."

"Jesus…" She breathed, swallowing heavily and casting her gaze across the street, not quite sure what to say to that or the smug look he was now sporting.

The ass…

"There they are…" he muttered as she watched Elena and Stefan get out of a little nondescript sedan. The two met at the front of the car, clasped hands, exchanged a sweet kiss and made their way inside as Damon sneered. "How cute…"

She bumped his shoulder. "So, what's the plan?" When he simply sat there for moments, her brows inched up. "You have one, right? Or at least an idea of how this might go down?"

"Nope." He hopped off the table and held out a hand. "We're winging it, sweets. Just follow my lead, act natural no matter what, and…don't freak at any point."

She took his hand and hopped off the table, eyeing him warily. "Don't freak at any point?" she grumbled as he tugged her along. "Like that shouldn't scare the fuck out of any sane person…"

He snickered and slung an arm around her shoulders. "We're just gonna stop in for a drink," he coached. "Don't stare…don't even look at them…" he said before sweeping the hat from his head. He ran a hand through his hair and opened the door for her.

When they'd entered, he took her hand again and led her through the crowd straight to the bar where they took seats. "I'll be right with you folks," a young looking guy with his back to them called out.

"I'll take my usual and a double of Grey Goose, neat for the lady."

The bartender's body tensed and he slowly turned, his eyes wide. "We thought…" He lowered his voice into a hissed whisper and stepped toward them. "Everyone thought you were dead…"

Damon smirked. "Not quite, Matty, now how about those drinks…" he wrapped his arm around Bella and pulled her into his side while taking off the glasses to eye the gaping guy. "You wouldn't keep a lady waiting, would you? It's rude."

The guy—Bella hoped the poor bastard's true name was Matt—snapped his mouth shut and finally glanced at her. "Uh, right…drinks…double Goose, neat," he muttered while grabbing glasses to fill.

"You remembered! Impressive." Damon quipped before muttering to Bella, "Our little Matty's a sharp one, sweets. I'm so proud…" He dabbed at an imaginary tear and Bella smirked, shaking her head as she picked up the glass Matt had just set in front of her.

"I see you're still as much of an asshole as ever, Damon…" he grumbled while setting a double bourbon on the napkin in front of him.

Damon smirked and muttered in Bella's ear, "Deep down, he really loves me…" He then straightened in his seat, answering Matt's comment. "Hardly the same, my dear Matthew. I work every day at perfecting the art, after all, so if anything, I've improved." He winked at Bella. "What say you, Iz?"

She saluted him with a raised glass and a wry smile. "You're like a fine wine, Damon."

He smiled widely and looked back at the frowning bartender. "There! You see? I only improve with time…" With that, he picked up his glass, gave Matt a jaunty salute, and downed half the contents. "Keep 'em coming, Matty. Don't be stingy now."

Matt's wary gaze cut over to a certain crowded table and back. "Does your brother know you're…uh…back?"

Damon shrugged. "Nope."

Matt's brows inched up. "Does anyone?"

Damon slipped an arm around Bella's waist and pulled her close, his lips tickling her temple as he murmured, "No one except my little Iz here…"

"Holy shit…they're gonna freak…" Matt muttered.

Damon shrugged, knocked back the rest of his drink and tapped the bar with his knuckles. "Maybe…probably…who knows? My glass is empty Matty. This makes me sad and a sad Damon is never a good thing," he chided as Bella took everything in while nursing the remainder of her drink.

She watched as Matt wordlessly grabbed the bottle and filled Damon's glass. "Leave it, young padawan, otherwise you'll be too busy to see to other customers."

Matt snorted softly, left the bottle and moved down the bar to serve someone else when Bella felt Damon tense beside her. She was just about to ask why when a familiar female voice spoke up to be heard above the din. "Matt! I need a couple of sodas—a sprite and a dr. pepper."

Bella watched him turn and walk down the bar, his eyes glancing from her and Damon to the female standing to the left and just behind Bella's shoulder. "Sprite and Dr. Pepper, got it," he answered as he filled two glasses with ice and set them on the bar to fill.

"Bella? Is that you?"

Bella shot Damon a look and he took her hand and gave a subtle nod. Turning in her seat, she smiled. "Hi Elena."

"Oh my god! What are…I mean, I'm surprised to see you here!" she said with a bemused smile. "It's great though, and since you're here, why don't you come over and I'll introduce you?"

Bella squeezed Damon's hand and he turned in his seat with a smirk, the look in his eyes guarded. "Well hello sunshine. Miss me?"

As Bella watched, the color fled from Elena's face and both glasses slipped from her hands, crashing into pieces at her feet. "How…"

The noise from the breaking glass drew plenty of attention and Bella muttered, "Here we go…" as Stefan rushed over with the rest of their group crowding in behind him.

"What's going…oh jesus…Damon?!" He pulled Elena close as her shock seemed to turn to anger and she glared at Damon and Bella from the circle of Stefan's arms.

"The one and only, little brother. Figures you'd charge in to save the day sooner or later." Damon spread his arms and tilted his head. "What? No hugs? I'm hurt."

Stefan blinked. "How is this possible?"

Damon dropped his arms and smirked as he threw an arm over Bella's shoulders. "Let's just say my little Izzy's very talented and powerful. That's how."

"You're a witch…" Bonnie muttered from beside Stefan and Elena. "I knew I felt something from you." She looked at Elena. "I told you we had to watch out for her, but you brushed me off, and now look what's happened!"

"Now's not the time, Bonnie," Elena ground out with a scowl which Bonnie returned even as she crossed her arms and shut her mouth.

Damon gestured to Stefan who still had Elena wrapped in his arms. "So, you two look cozy. Wanna explain how that came about since four short months ago…"

Stefan shot forward and grabbed Damon's arm. "Let's discuss this elsewhere," he growled while dragging Damon toward the door.

Damon shoved him off but continued to the door. "Fine, but you better have some answers."

They both walked out and Bella blinked at the abruptness of it all before turning to sit back at the bar. She had half a glass of Goose and wasn't about to waste it.

She'd just picked up the glass when a familiar, but decidedly chilly voice stopped her short. "So, you and Damon?"

Bella's brows rose and she turned to see Elena and Bonnie glaring at her. She cocked a brow. "So does this mean our little play date is off, then? Darn. I was so looking forward to it."

Elena's face twisted with a sneer. "He's a user, you know? You think he'll love you?" She laughed and it was ugly. "He'll never love you. He's not capable. He's tempting though because he's so hot; even hotter than Stefan, but the problem is he knows it. So take this as a friendly warning. Leave him alone. You'll only get hurt and now, you'll only have yourself to blame if—no, make that when—you do."

Bella calmly sipped her drink before placing it back on the bar and turning in her seat. "You know what you sound like, Elena?" The girl crossed her arms and arched a brow so Bella continued with a tiny smirk. "You sound—and act—like a woman scorned; or perhaps a woman who settled for second best. And if I may say so, it's _not_ a good look for you."

Bonnie grabbed her friend just as she made to lunge and Bella smiled as the girl growled, "You bitch!"  
Bella grinned. "You would think that would hurt, but I'm learning to embrace it, sweetheart. As a matter of fact, I consider it a compliment." She picked up her glass and saluted the two glaring women before knocking back the contents.

That done, she dug out some bills from her pocket, tossed them on the bar, perched Damon's fedora on her head, and walked out as she sang, "Ta-ta, bitches!"

"Damn," Matt muttered, his eyes fixed on Bella's curvy waist, swaying hips and tight ass. "Damon, that lucky bastard..."

Elena's lip curled and she threw a towel at his head. "Shut up, Matt, you asshole."

**Your thoughts?**

**Please review!**

**'Till next time, ~Spudz**


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot and any original characters therein. No copyright infringement intended.**

**A/N: Hope it's enjoyable! Happy Saturday. Love and light, ~Spudz**

**.**

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**.**

**Chapter 11**

When they got outside and around the corner of the building, Damon just barely resisted the urge to roll his eyes as Stefan shoved him against the brick exterior before getting in his face. "What the hell is going on, Damon? Why'd you let everyone think you were dead and gone for four months?!"

With one well placed hand in the center of Stefan's chest, he shoved his brother off and leaned up against the building, not bothering to hide his sneer. "Oh, I dunno, maybe it's because I _was_? And let me tell you, it was no fucking fun being trapped on the other side with no body to speak of and no way to communicate or fix the situation." He curled his lip at the doubting look on his brother's face as he continued. "Especially when all of you seemed all too content with making sad faces while writing me off for good. If anyone here has the right to be pissed, little brother, it's me, so you can take your self-righteous anger and cram it."

Stefan crossed his arms, his gaze cutting away as he frowned. "You're right. I'm sorry."

Damon's brows shot up and he cupped his ear. "Wanna repeat that, because I'm sure I must be hearing things. Did Saint Stefan just admit that I'm right about something?" He snorted. "The _unbearable_ grief must have screwed with your mind." He eyed his quiet brother for a long moment before sneering. "_Or_ maybe it's the guilt, after all, you got the girl out of this whole thing, didn't you little brother?"

He watched as Stefan looked everywhere but at him before smirking. "Not willing to admit I'm right a second time, eh? Well, that's okay, because I know I am. I can see it in your face."

Stefan looked at him. "We truly thought you were gone for good. Bonnie had us all convinced and Elena was inconsolable."

Damon arched a brow and couldn't hold back a bitter sneer. "Yeah, she seems really broken up over it."

Stefan scowled. "She was…but she…took steps to get over you…" he raised a hand, "and before you assign any blame, she took those steps on her own—well, for the most part, anyway. In any case, _I_ had nothing to do with what she did, so you can't lay it on me. Not this time, anyway."

"Ah, now we're getting somewhere. Care to share details, little brother, because I'm all ears."

Stefan sighed. "A couple weeks after you were… gone, Bonnie talked her into going to Alaric," he muttered while studying his shoes.

"Fuck, I knew it!" Damon hissed, his hands clenching into fists. "He compelled her to forget loving me," he stated and Stefan nodded.

"Yes, but he tried to talk her into waiting, for a while longer, at least." He met Damon's gaze. "She was a mess though and Bonnie convinced her there was nothing they could do to bring you back, so she insisted and he did it."

Damon ran a hand through his hair, his mind racing as he nodded. "Okay, well at least it's fixable." He glanced at Stefan, noting the pained expression on his face. "Sorry little brother, but you know she belongs with me. She loves me…she _chose me_ when her mind was completely her own."

Stefan gave him a slow nod. "Yes, she did," he hedged. "But I think you'll find things more complicated than what you think."

Damon narrowed his eyes. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Stefan avoided his eyes. "Just what I said." He sighed deeply. "Look, I need to get back in there." He met Damon's gaze and laid a hand on his shoulder. "Despite everything, I'm glad you're back. You're still my brother." His hand dropped and Damon arched a brow as Stefan continued. "But…I also want you to know that I love Elena…and I'll do everything I can to keep her."

Damon snorted, not surprised in the least by such a declaration. "The more things change, the more they stay the same."

Stefan stared at him for a long moment. "Yeah, I guess there's no better example of that saying than you and I, is there?"

He turned and walked away and Damon had to resist the urge to punch something.

"Hey, you okay?"

He glanced up from scowling at the ground and smirked, though there was no humor in it that Bella could see. "I'm just stellar, Iz, now what do you say we get a snack, go get my car back and go home for the night?"

Her eyes widened. "You're still staying with me?"

He eyed her carefully, not sure how to take that question. "If that's okay with you…"

She smiled faintly. "Sure…of course…yeah, it is. I just thought…" She sighed. "Well, I don't know, I just thought you'd wanna move back into your place…" she finished with a shrug.

He threw an arm around her shoulders and took his hat back, perching it on his head as he guided her back to where they'd left her truck. "I told you I wouldn't abandon you and I meant it. Besides, until I get this cluster fuck straightened out, I'd rather not have to watch my brother play kiss face with my girl. It pisses me off and makes me wanna do very bad things—things I don't need to be teaching my baby vamp."

Bella beat back the pang of hurt she felt at the thought of Damon with Elena and nodded as she dug her keys from her pocket to unlock the truck. "Understandable," she agreed as they both climbed in the cab.

She started the engine and looked at him. "So, what now?"

"Drive to the next town. We'll both grab a snack and then double back to pick up my car. I'll meet you back at your place and we'll have dinner."

She nodded and pulled out. "Yeah, poor Eddie's been cooped up in the house all day."

Damon curled his lip. "I just hope he hasn't left any land mines laying around." She chuckled and he glanced over with an arched brow. "If he has, I'm not going near it. Your dog, your duty. I'll open the windows and cook dinner. The rest is on you."

Her eyes rolled. "Afraid of a little dog shit, oh mighty bad-ass, killer vampire?"

He snickered. "That's right…you haven't experienced it with your new sense of smell, have you?" The grin he shot her was positively malicious and her eyes widened. "You're in for a sensory treat, doll, truly."

"Shit," she said with a groan.

"Yep," he quipped. "Let's hope there's a breeze to air the place out should it come to that."

Turns out she didn't have to worry after all, as good ol' Eddie had stuck it out like a trooper. She chuckled as he shot outside the second the door was open though. "Poor guy," she muttered with a shake of her head while closing the door. "But thanks for taking one for the team," she mumbled as she tossed her keys on the entry table and went to the kitchen to choose a bottle of wine for the night. She grabbed the opener and popped the cork to let it breathe so Damon wouldn't bitch, before heading upstairs to shower and change into something comfortable.

Thirty minutes later, freshly showered and dressed in a tank and shorts, she padded downstairs, following her nose to the kitchen where Damon had dinner well underway.

She cocked a brow and eyed him as he leaned against the counter, sipping his wine. "Steak?"

He shrugged, his gaze discreetly taking in her form in the little tank and snug shorts she wore. She hadn't bothered with a bra and he really wanted to groan as his cock began to harden at the sight of her. Was she trying to kill him? "Sure. Italian I may be, but pasta gets old after a while, don't you think?"

A faint smile curved her lips as she drew close to him. "Nothing gets old if it's someone else doing the cooking," she said dryly while slipping his glass from his hand to take a sip.

"Hmm, this is good," she said, glancing up at him as his gaze flitted from her eyes to her lush lips. There was a sparkle of wine that now begged to be licked from the pillowed softness of her bottom lip and heat rushed through him as he thought about doing just that.

She set the glass aside and their gazes locked, her breath catching as he slipped a hand into her hair with a muttered "Fuck it" while leaning down to cover her lips with his own.

The kiss was soft, yet his approach bold as he sucked and nibbled her bottom lip, and her hand slid into his hair as she opened to him, a little moan escaping her throat as his other hand slid to her ass to gently squeeze and pull her close.

This was so unlike any kiss she'd ever experienced before and she surrendered readily, reveling in the taste of him as his tongue expertly teased and stroked hers.

Her senses were swimming with his presence—his scent, his taste, his touch, the feel of the cut lines of his body against hers—as he ended the kiss with gentle pecks and tantalizing nibbles. "Damon…" she whispered, her eyes blinking lazily as she felt his lips trail to her neck. "Oh god…" She tilted her head as he gently bit into the sensitive column of her neck before laving it with his lips and tongue while traveling ever downward.

"Sweet…so fuckin' sweet…" he muttered as his hand moved to cup her breast, his thumb teasing her nipple to a hardened, needy peak as she arched into his touch.

The sound of tearing material barely registered with her and she clutched his shoulders, arching her back as his lips closed over one eager, aching peak.

Drawing in a sharp breath, she let it out in a long, low moan as he sucked deeply, the feeling going straight to her core that now ached with need even as the foreboding thought of Elena ghosted through her mind.

_'Fuck it,'_ she thought while burying her hand in his silky raven hair to pull him closer.

She wanted him.

She needed him….

And she'd deal with the fallout later if need be.

**Thoughts?**

**Please review!**

**'Till next time, ~Spudz**


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot and any original characters therein. No copyright infringement intended.

A/N: Hi all. Adult content follows. Not intended for minors. Happy reading all. Light and love, ~Spudz

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* * *

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_Previously:_

_'Fuck it,' she thought while burying her hand in his silky raven hair to pull him closer._

_She wanted him._

_She needed him…._

_And she'd deal with the fallout later if need be._

_._

* * *

_._

**Chapter 12**

The sweet torture continued for moments as his nose nudged aside the tattered fabric of her shirt to pay much needed attention to her other breast. "Damon…" she panted as her fingers gripped his hair, "bed…now…"

Wordlessly, he lifted her and made his way up to her room where he climbed onto her bed, pinning her body beneath his all the while continuing his sweet assault on the tender skin of her neck.

Shamelessly, he ground himself against her wet center, the heady scent of her need now driving him as he tore the tattered remains of her shirt and shorts from her body. "More please…" she begged, her beautiful, chocolate hued eyes dark and hooded as she held his face in gentle hands.

"Whatever you want, tesoro…whatever you need…" His voice was husky with the emotions she could see swirling in those ice-blue eyes and she smiled.

"You, Damon. I need you."

His eyes searched hers, his inky brows knitting in concern. "Are you sure? I'm not—I don't know if…"

She stopped his words with a finger against his lips, the sad smile she gave him posing more questions than her words would answer, "It's all right. I know and I…understand."

He frowned and brushed some hair from her cheek. "You deserve…so much more…"

Her sad smile turned slightly bitter. "Life isn't _fair_," she murmured, "the good guys don't always win, and there are no knights in shining armor." She kissed him and it was soft, sweet…and full of aching sadness. "I want you," she whispered in his ear before placing a kiss just below it. "Please… don't make me beg."

She reached down and slowly peeled his shirt over his head as he shrugged out of it, her eyes sparkling as she ran her hands over the defined muscles of his chest, drawing a groan from him. "Too long…" he murmured, "it's been too long…"

He leaned down and captured her lips in a heated kiss as one hand trailed down to hitch her leg up on his hip.

While nipping and sucking his full bottom lip, she reached down and popped the button on his jeans before lowering the zipper and nudging the fabric down with her feet. He grinned into their kiss while mumbling against her parted lips, "Patience, Miss Swan."

She ran her hands down his back and pushed the offending fabric farther while savoring the feel of the dimples just above the swell of his luscious ass. "I'm a 22 year old virgin, Damon. Fuck patience."

A light laugh and his help in shucking his jeans was her reward and before she knew it, his body was bare and pressed fully against her as his tongue tasted and played against hers.

She wrapped her legs around him and buried both hands in his hair while moaning into their wildest kiss yet.

She couldn't seem to get enough of him and she bucked and writhed as he kissed, sucked and nibbled his way down her body. "Dio, c'è il fuoco in voi…" (God, there's fire in you…) he muttered as his kisses trailed down her body.

She didn't know what he'd said, but at the moment, with his face between her legs and his tongue doing magical things that dreams are made of, she really didn't give a shit.

Her body arched and she moaned loudly when she felt his fingers slide into her while his tongue licked and swirled in a sweet, torturous pattern over her aching clit. "Sweet baby jesus…" she groaned, looking down just in time to see amused, ice-blue eyes staring up from under inky lashes as, with a scream of his name, she came completely undone.

"Oh god…oh god…" she babbled as his fingers massaged a place deep inside her, milking wave after wave of pleasure from her initial bone-melting release.

Never, in her wildest dreams, had she thought sex could be like this…

"Jesus…" she breathed as he kissed his way back up her boneless form. "That was…it was…"

He snickered before enclosing a pert, sensitive nipple in his warm, wet mouth. She hummed and buried a hand in his messy, raven hair. Releasing her nipple, he nuzzled the valley between her breasts before glancing at her, his eyes now dark with passion as his lips quirked into a smirk. "We're not done here, Iz."

She grinned and cupped his face, urging him up for a kiss as she wrapped her legs around his waist. "We'd better not be," she said with a playful nip to his lip, "otherwise, I want my money back."

He face scrunched into mock distaste. "I feel so…dirty and used and…"

She laughed and cut him off with a kiss before whispering into his ear, "Shut up and fuck me, Salvatore."

He cupped her head with one hand while guiding himself into her with the other and she tensed as he began to slide in. "Just do it," she urged, and with a nod and a kiss, he buried himself in her slick, silky heat, a deep, pleasured groan vibrating his chest as she gasped and arched.

"Oh fuck, that hurts," she bit out while digging her fingers into his shoulders.

He held still for a moment, his lips peppering her cheek and jaw with light kisses until she relaxed. "Okay now?"

She ran her hands down his back and nodded into his shoulder. "Yeah, I think so."

He held her close, kissing her lips and sharing her panted breaths as he began to move in slow, deep thrusts. And while it hurt for the first few strokes, an undeniable pleasure began to overcome any pain she felt and soon, she was arching against him, meeting his body thrust for thrust. "More, Damon…please…"

He quickened his pace while his tongue delved into the sweet depths of her mouth, his fingers tangled into her silky curls as he tilted her head into his kiss.

God, she was sweet and warm, fiery and pliant to his every touch, her body taking his in, fitting him perfectly in every way. This was over and above anything he'd ever felt before and he soon lost himself to it, his eyes closing as he made love to the passionate creature writhing and arching beneath him. "So good," he muttered, "so silky, warm, and tight…"

He sucked in a breath as he felt her grip and pulse around him, her cries of pleasure swallowed by his kiss as he chased his own completion, the ever wounded heart in his chest seeming to throb in time with his thrusts.

When it finally came, it seized his body in wave after wave of blinding pleasure and with a groan, he buried his face in her silky hair as a name whispered unbidden past his parted lips… "Elena…"

Suddenly, the body beneath his wasn't so pliant anymore and when he came back to himself, he drew back to look in her eyes. "Iz?"

She smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. "I think I'd like a bath now," she said, her tone light, belying the pain he could see in her eyes.

He didn't move, his thumbs gently rubbing the blushing apples of her cheeks. "Did I hurt you?" he asked, his brows drawn into a deep frown.

"No," she denied as her lips curved into a tremulous smile. "I'm fine, really. I'd just like a bath, that's all." She pushed gently against his chest and he rolled to the side, watching as she scrambled from the bed and rushed into the bathroom.

Moments later, he heard the sounds of water rushing into the tub, but that wasn't all he heard and his frown deepened.

She was crying. Heartbreaking sobs muffled by what must have been a towel.

And he had no idea why.

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XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

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When the tub was near to full, Bella dropped the tear soaked towel from her face and stepped into the steaming water before turning off the taps.

As the drip, drip, drip from the faucet echoed in the room, she rested her forehead on her bent knees and tried to tamp down the ache she felt in her heart. "Stupid, stupid, stupid…" she whispered, chastising herself for hoping when she knew…she _knew_ he loved another!

_'You expected some other outcome? Really, Bella?'_ her ever merciless inner voice goaded and she scoffed, for what other response _was_ there to such a question? She'd set herself up for this particular fall and she damn-well knew it.

But, oh god… No matter how her heart ached at the moment, she just couldn't find it within herself to regret it.

In many ways, it had been _worth it_, and she knew, given the choice, she'd do it all over again.

So, what now? she wondered. Where to go from here and more importantly, how to deal with this…how to _face_ him?

First and foremost, they were friends, right?

As she looked back on everything since meeting him, she realized that, yes, they are friends, so she consoled herself by picking out the little things…the positive things—the way he looked at her sometimes, his protectiveness, or the small things he did for her and his willingness to change her and keep her around…to stand by her side, even against the Cullens…

With a sniffle, she raised her head and took a deep, bracing breath as she came to the realization that perhaps—just maybe—Damon Salvatore was worth waiting for…worth _fighting_ for, if it came to that.

Never in her life had she done such a thing, and she was pretty sure he'd never had someone straight up fight for him either.

She blinked away the last of her tears as her kiss swollen lips set in a determined line. Maybe it was time to change her usual tactics; _stand_ and _fight_ instead of run and hide.

And who knows? Perhaps that's just what was needed to get through that thick, sarcastic armor of his too.

She scowled.

Yeah, it was time for him to take a look at what is right in front of him instead of chasing after women who always seemed to place him second.

The ass…

With that thought, she dunked herself under water and got down to finishing her bath. She was hungry damn it, and there was a steak in the kitchen with her name on it, not to mention an ice-cold bottle of Goose.

To hell with moping.

She had a man to win.

Time to get on with it.

**Your thoughts?**

**Please review.**

**'Till next time, ~Spudz**


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot and any original characters therein. No copyright infringement intended.

.

* * *

.

_Previously:_

_Yeah, it was time for him to take a look at what is right in front of him instead of chasing after women who always seemed to place him second._

_The ass…_

_With that thought, she dunked herself under water and got down to finishing her bath. She was hungry, damn it, and there was a steak in the kitchen with her name on it, not to mention an ice-cold bottle of Goose._

_To hell with moping._

_She had a man to win._

_Time to get on with it._

_._

* * *

_._

**Chapter 13**

She came out of the bathroom wrapped in a towel and drying her hair with another and despite her eyes being a bit puffy, she looked perfectly fine.

So, leaning against the headboard with the sheet covering his lower half, Damon contented himself with watching her.

When she'd tossed her hair towel in the basket and collected fresh clothes to wear—all without so much as glancing his way—he decided he'd had enough of her silence. "Everything okay?"

She froze for a beat before turning to him with a smile as she tossed her clothes on the end of the bed and dropped her towel to dress. "Of course."

His eyes narrowed as she shimmied into a pair of boy shorts before deftly fastening the matching bra over her tantalizing breasts. He cursed silently as he felt himself getting hard again. Now, obviously wasn't the time. Something was wrong here and he intended to find out what it was.

He damn near hissed as she bent away from him to step into a pair of sweats she favored for sleeping, giving him a delectable view of her perfectly rounded ass before straightening to draw the somewhat tattered sweats up and over it.

To complete the look, she shrugged into a loose forks high t-shirt that had also seen better days and scooped her damp hair out of it before retrieving her abandoned towel to toss into the basket in the corner.

When she was all done, she turned to him with a raised brow. "You gonna shower before dinner, or you wanna eat first?"

He blinked. Was she for real? Hadn't they just had mind-blowing sex—her first time, no less? In his experience, virgins were usually always clingy, for a while at least. What the hell was going on?

"You sure you're okay?"

Her shoulders seemed to set and she gave a nod. "I'm fine."

His eyes narrowed and he decided to quit tip-toeing around shit. "I heard you crying."

She smirked. "Perhaps I was mourning the demise of my v-card? Thought I'd have the damn thing forever, you know? Bit of a shock to get rid of it now, that's all.

"Now, I'm starving, so I'm gonna go eat. See ya down there?"

She turned and marched from the room, leaving him to stare at the open doorway in bemusement. Never, in all his experience with women through the years, had he encountered anyone like Isabella Swan. It seemed like, just when he thought he could predict her, she'd react in a completely unexpected way.

He wasn't sure how to feel about that. He was Damon _Fucking_ Salvatore and women were his specialty. To be caught out so completely… well… It left him feeling flatfooted—awkward—and he hadn't felt this way around a woman since…

His jaw clenched and he ran a hand through his mussed hair. No, Iz was nothing like Katherine. If there was one thing he was sure of, it was that Bella Swan was a genuine person. She didn't have a manipulative bone in her body, and he wouldn't degrade her—even in the privacy of his mind—by comparing her with such a ruthless shark.

No. _Something_ had happened. He was sure of it. He just had to find out what and fix it.

With that thought, he got out of bed, threw on his jeans and made his way down stairs.

He entered the kitchen to see Bella at the table, reading a book while eating dinner. She glanced up and flashed him a plastic smile—the same one she'd given him after her bath. He didn't like it. "Your steak's still in the warmer and I put your salad in the fridge. Didn't want it getting wilty." She tossed a bite of steak to Eddie, stuffed a forkful of salad in her mouth and went back to reading as she chewed.

Wordlessly, he got his dinner together, topped off the wine in his glass and took a seat at the table.

She steadfastly ignored him.

After taking a few bites of his dinner, he got fed up, reached over and plucked the book from her hand, setting it aside while taking a sip of wine as she arched a brow. "I was reading that."

He nodded. "I noticed."

She sat back and crossed her arms. "It was rude to take it from me."

He smirked. "It's rude to read at the table when you have a dinner companion."

She snorted. "And who are you? Miss Manners?"

"Nope," he said, smirking over the rim of his glass. "I just don't like being ignored." She started to protest and he held up a finger. "Don't lie, Iz. You were using it to ignore me."

She stuffed a bit of steak in her mouth and took her time chewing it, then took a sip of wine and delicately dabbed her mouth with her napkin, all the while feeling his piercing gaze on her. With a sigh, she finally met that gaze. "Why would I ignore you, Damon?"

He raised a brow. "That's a good question, and one I'd love an answer to—but what I'd really like to know is why you cried in the bathroom and why you've been acting so weird since?"

Downing the rest of her wine, she slumped back in her chair and sighed. She just wasn't any good at putting up fronts—not anymore, and certainly not with him. "Look," she said before leaning forward to refill her glass, "I don't regret what we did, okay?" she said while setting the bottle back on the table. "But we probably should've waited a while—you know? Just to give you more time to figure your shit out…"

His eyes narrowed. "What _happened_ Iz? Did I do something wrong?"

She smirked and met his gaze, deciding to just put it out there. "You said her name."

He sat back, his face instantly blank. "Shit."

She sipped from her glass, nodding ruefully. "Yep."

"Iz…I'm sorry…I…"

She held up a hand. "Save it. I knew what I was getting into. I knew you still loved her and I'm not exactly a starry-eyed teen anymore. I have no excuse… _outside an unhealthy obsession with your extremely tight ass…"_ she muttered under her breath.

He rubbed his forehead and grimaced despite having heard every word she'd just said. "Yeah, but what a dick move on my part." His eyes met hers. "I don't remember doing it, but I _really_ am sorry, doll."

She nodded. "Water under the bridge." She took another pull from her glass and smirked. "I will say this though… If it ever happens again, I'll rip your dick off and feed it to you."

After a moment of thought, he grinned and went back to eating and her eyes narrowed to slits. "What are you grinning at?"

He met her gaze over the rim of his glass and shrugged as he set the glass down next to his plate. "You said 'if it ever happens again'… In order for _that_ to be possible…" His words cut short as he ducked the bread roll missile she threw at his head.

"Don't hold your breath," she grumbled as Eddie padded to the corner and snapped up the roll.

He smirked but wisely kept his silence while finishing his dinner.

"So, what now?" she asked while pushing her plate away.

He drained the rest of the wine in his glass and cocked his head at the sound of a car pulling into the drive. "Seems you have a guest," he said just as Eddie shot for the door to bark.

"Shit," she muttered as she got up and made her way to the front door. The bell warbled just as she reached it and she pulled the door open, arching a brow at the vampire standing there.

"Isabella, right? Is my brother here?"

She stepped back and held Eddie by the collar. "He is. Come on in."

He stepped in and she put Eddie out before closing the door. "Come on, the sitting room's this way."

"Thanks," he mumbled as he followed her.

"Stefan," Damon greeted when they walked in. He gestured toward the bourbon he was pouring. "Care for any?"

"No, thanks."

Damon shrugged and flopped into a chair, propping his bare feet on the ottoman while smirking at his brother. "What brings you by?"

Bella ran her fingers through Damon's hair. "I'm gonna go clean up from dinner."

He smiled at her. "You don't have to leave."

She glanced at Stefan as he took a seat on the sofa. "Nah, you two need to talk…catch up. Just...don't break anything."

She walked out and Stefan raised a brow. "You don't waste any time, do you?"

Damon downed half his drink. "What's _that_ supposed to mean?"

Stefan scoffed. "You reek of sex and blood. But then, that shouldn't surprise me."

Damon saluted with his glass. "Ever the saintly one, aren't you, little brother?"

"And you always land on your feet."

Damon cocked his head and nodded. "Maybe." He scowled. "What are you doing here, Stefan? I _was_ having a pleasant evening…"

Stefan leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "Fine, I'll just come out with it."

"Please do."

"Leave Elena alone."

Damon snorted. "Back to that, are we?"

"She's happy now, Damon. Just…leave her be."

Damon's eyes hardened to ice. "You mean, _you're_ happy now."

Stefan looked away then back again. "Yeah, that too. We're happy _together_, just as we were before you came to town."

Damon knocked back the rest of his drink and rose to refill it. "She chose _me_." He turned and stared his brother down while leaning against the side-bar.

Surprisingly, Stefan smiled but it was smug…cold. "She also chose to _forget_ you."

Damon's jaw tightened. "She thought I was dead."

"You brought nothing but turmoil to her life. She's finally settled now. She knows what she wants, Damon, and it _isn't_ you or the life you can give her." He stood and paced. "Didn't you see how upset she was just seeing you today?" He stopped and faced his brother. "Just leave her alone!"

He took a slow sip from his glass. "Once she has her memories back…"

"She's not gonna get her memories back!"

Damon's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean by that?"

Stefan shot him a look full of resolve and something else…regret maybe? "I said I'd do whatever it took to keep her and I meant it. I'm sorry, Damon, but I love her. I won't let you take her from me again."

With that, he turned and left, the echo of the slamming front door sounding like a shot in the quiet house.

Bella walked back in and eyed Damon as he stared at the floor. "What's this about her getting her memories back? You never explained…"

He snapped out of his thoughts and looked at her. "A friend—Alaric—compelled her to forget. I need to talk to him as he's the only one who can fix the situation."

Bella curled into the corner of the couch. "So, call him. With the way things are going, you'd better talk to him before Stefan does."

Damon nodded. "I had planned on going to see him tomorrow, but you're probably right. I should call him so he's not blind-sided by all this. As far as Stefan goes though, Ric is my friend. I can't see him going against me, not in a feud with Stefan."

Her brows rose. "Yeah, but he doesn't even know you're back, unless someone's told him."

He arched a brow and she waved a hand. "Yeah, small town I know, still, there's a chance he may not know yet, so call him."

He set his drink aside and slipped his phone from his pocket. After pressing send, he put it to his ear and waited. A few beats later, he slipped it back in his pocket and frowned. "No answer and I didn't leave a message for obvious reasons."

She smirked. "Yeah, I guess the whole 'I'm alive' thing should be done in real time, at least."

His fingers tapped a rhythm on the side-board. "I think I should go over there. It's not like him not to pick up."

She glanced at the time. "It's kinda late. Maybe he's sleeping or has company."

He picked up his drink and finished it. "I'll go see him tomorrow."

She got up and headed for the door to let Eddie in. "On that note, I'm going to bed." She locked up and headed for the stairs with Eddie padding behind her. "See you in the morning."

"Hey," he caught her by the wrist and she turned.

"Yeah?"

He pulled her close and brushed a kiss over her lips before tracing her cheek with his fingers. "Thank you…for earlier. I feel like shit that it ended the way it did…"

She gave him a wan smile and pulled him into a lingering kiss, her forehead resting against his as she murmured, "You're a blind ass Damon, you know that?"

She turned and climbed the stairs, calling back over her shoulder, "Back to the guest room with you!" as she walked into her room and shut the door.

.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

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The next morning, she walked into the kitchen to find Damon in his usual spot at the table, reading the local rag. "What? No breakfast?" she asked while grabbing a cup for coffee. "You're fired."

He glanced up and smirked. "You can punish me later, Mistress. For now, I thought we could go have breakfast at the grill before going to see Ric." His eyes traveled her form and the way she was dressed as she doctored her coffee.

This wasn't the baggy sweater-clad recluse he'd become accustomed to, to say the least. Her jeans hugged every curve perfectly and the black, leather jacket she wore over her snug shirt made him want to peel it off of her—slowly—and spend the day on more pleasurable pursuits, preferably involving his face buried in the ample cleavage on display at the v-neck of her shirt. And gods, did she smell fucking divine…

Snapping fingers brought him back around to see her smirking. "Eyes up here, Salvatore," she drawled as she leaned back in her chair, crossing legs that seemed to go on for miles in the black, high-heeled boots she wore. "Where's Eddie?"

"Eddie…" he said dumbly.

She grinned evilly. "Yeah, my dog?"

He sat up, discreetly adjusting his cock while setting the paper aside. "He's outside, chasing rabbits last I saw him."

"Okay," she said as she stood and walked to the sink as he followed her every move with his eyes.

_'Jesus, had her hips always swayed like that?'_

He was pretty damn sure they hadn't…

She placed her cup in the sink and turned back to him. "I'll bring him in, make sure he's set for the day, lock up and be ready to go. My truck or your car?"

"My car," he muttered absently as she patted him on his cheek.

"Great, see you out there."

When she got into the passenger seat of his car, he seemed recovered. At least his signature smirk was back. "Nice jacket," he said as he pulled out, tires spraying gravel before finally gripping pavement.

"Thanks, it was a gift."

"From the squirrel sucker?"

"No," she sneered before mellowing her tone. "From Jake. We had these motorcycles he fixed up and he thought I needed it for riding, especially after I laid the bike out the first time I rode it."

"Wise of him."

She nodded. "Probably, considering I could've been the poster child for Forks General's ER back then." She glanced at him. "You think it's a good idea being seen with me so much? I mean, you're trying to get Elena back, right? So being seen with me all the time can't be winning you any points."

He shrugged. "As far as she's concerned, she hates me and nothing's gonna change that until I get her memories restored, so there's no point in worrying about it."

"Won't she wonder about it after she gets her memories back? I know I would." She gazed out the side window and didn't look back until she felt his hand take hers.

"Hey."

She looked back.

"What's wrong?" he asked, his gaze darting between her and the road.

"What's gonna happen if you get her back?" Her jaw clenched and she pulled her hand from his. "I _really_ should've thought this through."

His brows knitted. "What do you mean?"

She scoffed and leveled him with a look. "Think Damon. She gets her memories back, you two are gonna be all over each other. That puts me in a bad place, don't you see?" She looked away. "I suppose I could go to Italy, even if I'm not their type of vampire any more," she muttered.

"No," he snapped. "You're mine. I sired you, and you're not going anywhere, sweets."

She turned and looked at him with wide eyes as he gripped the wheel, his knuckles turning white under the pressure. He wasn't sure why, but the thought of her leaving him pissed him off and he wasn't about to let it happen.

She scowled. "Yeah? That could get really god damned awkward, Damon."

He frowned back at her. "Why?"

She sneered. "Okay, you need a fucking road map, I'll give you one… I _want_ you, all right?! and I'm not into sharing, especially with fickle, whiny bitches. There, clear enough for ya?!"

He turned and looked back at the road, cursing moments later as he cruised right past the Grill. "Shit," he said while slowing to make a u-turn.

After he pulled in and parked, he ran a hand over the back of his neck before looking at her. "It could just be the effects of the bond, Iz. You're new and it hasn't settled yet, and then we did what we did. It was your first time and that's bound to churn up feelings…"

Her heart sank as the excuses rolled off his tongue. "Stop," she said, holding up a hand. "Just stop. Forget I said anything. I'm not your problem, okay? I'll…figure something out."

"Iz…" he began but by the time he'd said her name, she'd already gotten out and closed the door.

He caught up to her inside, sliding into the booth she'd been seated in as she ordered a coffee. "Anything for you, hun?" the waitress asked him.

"Coffee for now."

"Great. I'll be back to take your orders in just a bit," she said while handing Damon a menu.

He set it to the side and stared at Bella whose face was hidden by her menu. "Iz, come on, talk to me."

She dropped the menu. "What are you having? The french toast sounds good, but then again, steak and eggs does too. What do you recommend?"

"Steak, rare, eggs over-medium, otherwise the whites are runny. They never get over-easy right here."

"Got it," she said, sliding the menu away and pulling her coffee to her to doctor with cream. "I hate runny whites too."

"Bella, look, I…"

"Well, look who it is," a female voice sneered, cutting him off. Damon's eyes rolled when Bonnie walked up to their booth. "You couldn't do us all a favor and stay dead could you?"

Damon's lip curled but Bella spoke up. "Get lost, Sabrina."

"My name's Bonnie and I wasn't talking to you."

Bella narrowed her eyes. "Like I give a shit. Doesn't change the fact that you're standing at _my_ table, fucking up _my_ morning even worse than it was, and I haven't had a full cup of coffee yet. Not a good combination, so leave if you know what's good for you."

Bonnie ignored her and looked at a smirking Damon. "Leave Elena alone. She's happy and in love with Stefan, who's much better for her than you _ever_ were."

Bella leveled her with a look that could slice diamonds. "Leave. Now."

"I don't think I will, not until…"

Bella held up a hand and a pulse of pure energy sent the speaking girl sliding away on her ass a few feet away. A gaping blonde girl ran over and helped her up and they hurried back to their own table across the room as Damon blinked at Bella. "What the _hell_ was that?"

She picked up her cup and took a sip before smiling at Damon. "You hear that?"

His brows inched up. "I don't hear anything at the moment."

"That's right," she answered with a grin. "That's the sound you hear after a harping bitch gets her ass handed to her. Pretty sweet, isn't it?"

"Okay, yeah, I admit, it's nice. Now, what the hell _was_ that?"

Bella shrugged and took another healthy pull from her coffee. "Not sure, but I'm thinking my mojo stuck around. Whatever it was, I can tell you it felt fucking fantastic. Think I'll work with it when I get home."

The waitress came and took their orders and Bella grinned like a loon at the frightened looks she kept getting from the two girls across the room.

Damon finally shook his head as their food was placed in front of them. Bella thanked the waitress brightly and began peppering her eggs. "You're awfully proud of yourself," Damon commented and she shrugged a shoulder as she cut her food and began eating.

"I've spent years knowing about the supernatural, Damon. Years being the _weak_ one, knowing I couldn't do a damn thing to protect myself against such strengths and forces and always relying on someone else to protect me. It was demeaning." She leaned forward, her eyes lit with a manic glow. "Well, guess what? That's _not_ the case any more, so forgive me if I refuse to take shit from anyone else ever again."

She shoved a bite in her mouth and gave him a wide, closed-lipped smile before chewing and swallowing. She pointed to the plate. "This is really good."

He snickered and dug into his own food. "Yeah, Iz. Really good."

When they finished, he paid and they walked out to his car. After he pulled out onto the road, he looked over and her brows inched up. "What?"

He smirked. "Do you _really_ have an obsession with my, quote, extremely tight ass?"

"Yes, it's fucking delectable. As a matter of fact, I'd like to bite it," she deadpanned as she met his gaze. "Or just squeeze it, if you're not into biting. Of course, I'd still like to lick those two little dimples you have just above it…"

He hissed and fidgeted in the driver's seat. "Shit, okay, bad time to bring that up."

She shrugged, took out her flask and took a healthy pull. "Anything you wanna know, just ask. I'm completely done with bullshit."

He laughed, his brows damn near reaching his hairline. "I can see that."

She offered him her flask and he shook his head. "I'm driving, Miss Swan."

She snorted. "I forgot, you're all about civic responsibility."

He smirked and pulled into the driveway of a decent, if unremarkable house. "This it?" she asked and he nodded.

"This is it."

"You want me to stay here?"

He popped his door open and shook his head. "No, come in and meet him."

"All right." She got out and they walked to the front door together. He knocked and they waited. When no one answered, he knocked again, harder this time. When they still didn't get an answer, his brows knit.

"His car's here."

"Try calling him again. Maybe he's showering or something."

He tried and got no answer. "Something feels off," he said. "I'm going in, but I'm not sure you'll be able to. He might have a human living with him, in which case you'd need an invitation."

"Ah," she said. "Got it. I'll wait in the car."

She went back to the car and turned on some tunes while he opened the door and walked in.

Two songs later, he came out looking murderous. She turned off the radio and stared at him as he slid in behind the wheel. "Well?" she asked.

He stared out the windshield, the muscle in his jaw ticking. "He's been staked, Iz." He looked at her, his eyes like chips of ice. "He's dead, his office is a wreck and the only other recent scent in the house is-"

"Stefan's," she finished with wide eyes and he nodded.

"Yep."

**Your thoughts?**

**Please review.**

**'Till next time, ~Spudz**


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot and any original characters therein. No copyright infringement intended.

A/N: Another chapter. Thanks and love to all who take the time to review. You fuel the muse and keep me typing.

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_Previously at Alaric's house:_

_She went back to the car and turned on some tunes while he opened the door and walked in._

_Two songs later, he came out looking murderous. She turned off the radio and stared at him as he slid in behind the wheel. "Well?" she asked._

_He stared out the windshield, the muscle in his jaw ticking. "He's been staked, Iz." He looked at her, his eyes like chips of ice. "He's dead, his office is a wreck and the only other recent scent in the house is my brother's."_

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**Chapter 14**

He was silent on the drive back to Bella's house and it was easy enough to see how upset he was so she was content to let him be…for the time being.

When they arrived at her place, she unlocked the door and as she greeted Eddie, Damon stalked past and straight to the sitting room, pouring himself a drink while she ushered the dog out and toed off her shoes at the door before joining him. "We gonna talk about all of this?" she asked while curling into her favorite corner of the couch.

He emptied his glass in one go and refilled it before shooting her a look, the ticking muscle in his jaw the only tell to the fury he was fighting to control. "I'm trying really hard not to go kill some people right now, Iz. Not really in a talking mood."

Nodding slowly, she rolled her lips and toyed with a stray string on the hem of her jeans before looking back up at him. She'd been thinking on the situation the whole way home and, pissed as he was, his current way of dealing with things wasn't going to solve a thing. "What if I can contact your friend?"

His gaze snapped to her and she had to stifle a cringe at the razor sharpness of it. "We don't even know if you can do that anymore and anyway, what good would it do?"

She raised a brow. "Well, it would eliminate the speculation. I mean, if I'm successful, then we'll know exactly what went on and why."

He growled. "That's what I don't get. The whole thing is senseless! If Ric compelled her to forget, then why the hell would Stefan kill him? He knows that the compulsion would break the minute he did it, so why do it?"

Her brows shot up. "You mean Elena remembers everything now?"

He nodded.

"Then why isn't she beating the door down right now? I mean, that would be my response if I suddenly remembered the love of my life who I thought I'd lost forever…"

"I don't know," he muttered with a dark frown before downing his second drink.

She rubbed her brow. "Well, brooding while drowning your sorrows isn't going to help, Damon, so get your ass back in your car, drive over to his place, get me something personal of his, and get back here so I can try to contact him. Once you talk to him, you can figure out what to do from there."

He set his glass on the sideboard. "And if Elena shows up while I'm gone?" he asked with a raised brow.

Her heart squeezed painfully, but she squashed those feelings viciously. "I'll invite her in and even offer refreshments," she snarked. "Jesus, Damon, don't worry. I'll be…_nice_."

With a skeptical glance and a nod, he walked out and she sagged as the front door closed. "How do you manage to get into these situations, Bella?" she grumbled while rising from the couch to head to the kitchen.

"Love," she scoffed as a lump built in her throat, her eyes stinging with the urge to cry. "Never again," she growled while pulling the bottle of Goose from the freezer. She uncapped it and took a deep pull straight from the bottle. "It just ain't in the cards for you, Bella," she muttered as a traitorous tear rolled down her cheek. She swiped at it angrily and tipped the bottle back again, the ice cold alcohol burning pleasantly as she swallowed. She took one more healthy drink and eyed the bottle with a bitter smirk. "Hypocrite," she mumbled while pushing off the counter to make her way up stairs, the bottle swinging loosely from her fingers.

When she got to the 'witchy room' she pushed open the door and surveyed it before taking another drink. "I'm baaaack," she sang while nudging the rolled carpet with a toe.

Setting the bottle on a side table, she started setting up for the ritual. There wasn't much to do considering she hadn't cleaned up from bringing Damon across, so when everything was set, she grabbed the bottle and plopped down in the middle of the circle, her eyes skimming the instructions in the book as a refresher.

By the time Damon joined her, one brow cocked as he handed her a hairbrush, she'd finished off the bottle and was feeling pretty good.

She tossed him a lighter. "Make yourself useful and light the candles," she muttered while pulling some hair from the brush.

"Is that okay?" he asked, motioning to the brush before sparking up the lighter.

"It's great, as long as it's his."

"It is."

"Then we're golden," she said, rolling the empty bottle across the floor and out of the way.

His eyes narrowed. "You okay?"

"Never better," she muttered while setting the book outside the circle. "Why?"

"Oh, I don't know... Maybe because you haven't looked at me once since I've been back and you're half drunk."

She rolled her eyes. "Don't worry, I won't screw up."

"That's not what I'm worried about, Iz."

"I won't embarrass you in front of your girlfriend if she comes around either." She glanced at him and cocked a brow while tapping her wrist. "Speaking of…it's been a while now, Damon. Where is _Princess Charming_, anyway?" She knew she was being a bitch, especially when he shot her a wounded glare, but she couldn't seem to help herself. She also knew it was irrational to act this way; he'd been up front with her about his feelings and goals after all, but just the thought of him with Elena…

Her jaw clenched and she busied herself with balling up the hair she'd collected from the brush.

He lifted a brow while gazing down at her. "I'm gonna chalk this up to the Grey Goose, Iz. Now, can we get on with this?"

"Fine," she snapped.

"Fine," he sneered back.

With a blown-out breath, she shook the tension from her hands and began chanting under her breath while he took a seat off to the side, still a little shocked at the barbs she'd tossed his way. Sure, she'd always had a sharp tongue and dry wit, but she'd never been purposely cruel with it. That last bit about Princess Charming, though…that had been meant to hit a soft spot, not that he had many of those left. Elena _was_ one however, and Iz's aim had been true. It had caught him off guard simply because he trusted Iz so completely, something he was just now realizing…

It shocked him, but even he couldn't deny it…

He trusted her more than any other person. Somehow, she'd managed to sneak in under his tough skin and that little epiphany made him distinctly uncomfortable in both good and bad ways…

The smell of burning hair shook him from his thoughts and he focused back on the proceedings just in time to see the silhouette of a person begin to manifest across from Bella in the circle.

As he watched, the form took on the bemused visage of his dead friend just as Bella ended her chant and opened her eyes. "Who are you?" the ghostly form asked, his confused gaze locked on Bella.

She smiled wanly and motioned to Damon. "Your friend would like to talk to you."

He looked over, his opaque eyes widening. "Damon?! What happened? We all thought you were dead."

Damon lips pulled into a bitter smirk. "Not quite, Ric. My little Izzy-witch was good enough to bring me back."

Alaric shook his head, looking stunned and Bella cleared her throat. "You two may wanna get on with the important stuff. I'm not sure how long I can sustain this little chat."

Alaric glanced at her and Damon nodded as Bella massaged her temples.

"Important stuff?" Alaric asked, glancing between the two vampires.

Damon leaned forward, elbows resting on knees. "Who staked you and why, Ric?"

The ghost looked baffled for a moment before scowling. "Stefan," he growled, his gaze darting back to his friend. "I remember now…it was Stefan. As to why…it was over Elena. He said he didn't want to chance her remembering."

Damon's brow creased. "That makes no sense! With you dead, the compulsion would break…" He trailed off as Alaric shook his head.

"Not this time. When I did it, it was part of a ritual Bonnie had set up. She tied Elena's memories to her diary with a spell, and Stefan knew this because he was there."

"Tied her memories to her diary?"

Alaric nodded. "Yes, in order for Elena to get those memories back, she would have to read the diary even after I'd lifted the compulsion. Bonnie insisted on doing it that way because she didn't fully trust me, I guess because you and I were such good friends."

Damon's jaw clenched as his gaze cut to the hazy window. "And the diary? What happened to it?" he asked with a sinking sense of dread. He looked back at his dead friend in time to see him shake his head sadly. "Despite Bonnie's protests, Elena left it with me. I kept it hidden, locked in a scent-proof box and I guess it's the main reason I'm dead."

"How so? And while we're at it, how did Stefan even get a stake that could kill you?"

Alaric chuckled bitterly. "I can only guess, but I caught a hint of Klaus's scent just before dying, so I'm thinking he's the one Stefan got the stake from."

Damon growled. "And the diary?"

Alaric's expression was full of anger as Damon murmured that last question. He knew his friend already knew the answer to his last question, but he answered it anyway. "It was what we fought over, and I swear, I've never seen Stefan fight so fiercely before. He was strong too, so he must've gorged himself on human blood before ever coming to my house." The ghost sighed. "He demanded I give him the diary or tell him where it is. I refused, we fought and I obviously lost." He shook his head, murmuring, "I didn't think he'd actually kill me. I don't think he _meant_ to without getting his hands on the diary first, but we struggled, and the stake was in his hand..." With a shrug and another shake of his head, he shook himself from the memory and focused back on Damon. "After that, I can only assume that if he found it, he took it."

"Where was it?" Damon quickly asked as Bella groaned, her breath now quick and becoming labored as she tired from anchoring Alaric's presence. The ghost began to flicker and Damon felt a moment of panic as he waited for an answer.

"My bedroom…hidden under the floor-boards."

As Alaric began to fade, Damon reached out a hand. "I'm sorry, Ric."

The thinning image smiled wanly. "I'm _not_," he murmured just before disappearing completely as Bella lost the battle and passed out, slumping to the floor. The candles guttered and died and with a heavy sigh, Damon rose and scooped her into his arms, placing a kiss to her brow as he carried her to her bed.

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She didn't wake until the next day, her head slightly aching as she cracked an eye open to see Damon kicked back in an armchair, his torso and feet bare, wearing only his low-slung sleep pants. He smirked as her eyes roamed his form. "Welcome back."

She groaned and he tossed her a bag of blood. "Drink that. It'll get rid of the headache."

"Rob a blood bank?" she asked with a cocked brow before piercing the bag with sharp fangs and sucking it down.

"Something like that," he muttered as she eyed the empty bag with a curious mix of disappointment and disdain. He chuckled. "Nothing like the fresh stuff, but it does in a pinch."

"I guess," she grumbled while sitting up to toss the drained bag in the waste basket beside the bed. She wrapped her arms around her bent knees before murmuring, "Sorry about yesterday."

He lifted an inky brow as she glanced at him, guilt now weighing heavily as she recalled her less-than-charitable, alcohol-fueled comments.

"Water under the bridge, Iz. Forget about it."

She scowled. "No, what I said was mean…" she cut her gaze to the window. "I know you love her and want her back. You've always been honest about that, so my bitchiness was completely unjustified." She looked back and he shrugged.

"We all have our moments, Iz, but if you wanna hear that I forgive you, then I do. Besides, you were pretty loose on Goose." He smirked and she returned it, though it didn't really reach her eyes.

"Yeah, I guess I was." She glanced at the clock. "I was out for a while." She met his gaze. "Any new developments? Or did you just sit around here after I passed out?"

"No, I kept busy. After putting you to bed, I went back to Ric's and searched," he said with a smug smirk.

Her heart lurched but she had to ask. "Did you find it?"

He gave her a slow nod and a satisfied smile. "I did. St. Stefan tore the shit out of Ric's office, but never touched the bedroom."

"Oh, well, that's great…I guess" she murmured, her gaze cutting back to the window as he frowned. "So, did you go to her?" she asked while staring out the window.

His eyes narrowed at her less-than-enthused tone. He thought she'd be a _little_ happy for him at least, so this reaction was a bit puzzling. "Iz?"

She slowly turned her head to meet his gaze. "Yeah?"

His brow furrowed and he leaned forward, elbows on knees. "I'm not gonna abandon you, no matter what happens with Elena, you know that, right? I made you a promise."

She barked out a bitter laugh and ran a hand through her tousled hair. "The pitiful side-kick, trailing along behind the happy couple…yeah, _that's_ the life I'd always pictured for myself for sure."

He scowled and sat back. "Look, I'm trying here. What more do you want?"

His words pierced her like a hot knife even as she managed to keep her expression carefully blank. "I'm gonna go shower." She climbed off the bed and padded to the bathroom, all the while feeling the weight of his disgruntled gaze on her back.

"Shit," he grumbled under his breath as the bathroom door closed. He'd thought she was okay with everything, but it was pretty obvious now that she wasn't and it kind-of pissed him off simply because he had been completely honest. He'd never led her on about how he felt, despite the intimacy they'd shared.

He growled and ran a hand over his hair as he flopped back in the chair. _'Should've kept it in your pants, Salvatore,'_ he taunted mentally. Bella'd been a virgin after all, and he was experienced enough to know something like that always—_always_—complicates things, no matter how nonchalant or adamant the female might be in her reassurances.

Now, here he was, caught between his baby-vamp Iz—whom he didn't want to hurt for anything in the world—and the woman he'd pursued for so long and loved… "Fuck," he muttered before standing and striding from the room.

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When Bella entered the kitchen an hour and one soul-bracing shower later, Damon was just plating breakfast for the two of them. She paused for a moment, taking in how he kept his gaze on what he was doing rather than greet her as he usually did. "Eat before it gets cold," he said, his tone neutral as he took his seat. He sipped some blood from a thermal mug while placing the local paper next to his plate to read. "There's more blood in the fridge too, if you need it."

"Eddie?" she questioned. He flipped the folded paper and continued to read.

"Already been out and fed. He's in here somewhere."

She sat down and picked up her fork, poking absently at the omelette while struggling between her conscience and the part of her that wanted to rip Elena to shreds and call it fucking good. She wasn't quite sure which part was winning, but she did feel bad for putting Damon in the shit mood he was in.

She knew he wanted her to be happy for him. He now held the key to Elena's memories, after all, and that had been his goal since she'd brought him across. The supposed love of his life was now within reach, but she couldn't shake the feeling that everything about the situation was _wrong_. That Damon _wasn't_ Elena's—that she didn't deserve him and would never love him the way he should be loved…

_'The way I love him…'_

She huffed and he glanced up. "Something wrong?"

"I'm sorry," she said, watching as he sat back, his expression closed and unreadable. It was the first time he'd looked at her that way and she hated it. "You're about to get all you've waited for and I—I'm happy for you," she murmured, the words tasting like ash on her tongue. Still, she knew they were words he wanted to hear, so she put them out there even as her heart twisted while speaking them.

Her brow furrowed when she heard him scoff, her eyes darting up to meet his as he spoke. "Bullshit."

"What?"

He chuckled and crossed his arms over his chest. "You can't lie for shit, Iz, so don't even try."

She scowled. "It's obviously what you wanted to hear earlier…"

"I only ever want the _truth_ from you, got it? I don't want or need bullshit from you. I get enough of that from everyone else."

Her lip curled and chin jutted as she met his icy blue gaze squarely, her inner fire flaring to life behind those deep brown eyes. "Fine, you want the truth? I'll give it to you." His brows shot up as she shot from her seat and straddled him, her hands cupping his face as deep brown met and held startled blue. "You're a clueless idiot, Damon Salvatore, who, in the relationship and emotions department couldn't find your ass with a map, compass, both hands and a flashlight."

At any other time, she would've laughed at the indignant look on his face, but since she was in the process of baring her aching heart, she couldn't quite manage it.

Her thumbs caressed his cheeks as her eyes searched his, her tone softening as she continued, "I _love_ and _value_ you more than that shallow, self-absorbed twat ever will." She sat back, giving him space and a moment to process. "There," she concluded while leaning down to brush a kiss over his parted lips, her head resting against his. "You wanted the truth—well, that's the truth. Do with it what you will."

She stood from his lap, grabbed a bag of blood from the fridge and left the kitchen, leaving a stunned Damon in her wake as she entered the library.

Grabbing a book from the shelf, she curled up in the corner of the couch, greeting a drowsy Eddie with a scratch behind his ear as his thick tail thumped against the cushion. "At least I have _your_ heart, right boy?" His dark brown faux eyebrows twitched as he eyed her and wagged his tail. She chuckled and reached for her snack.

Absently tearing the corner of the bag, she sucked down the blood as her eyes skimmed the print of the book. To anyone watching, it may have looked like she was reading, but her mind was far from absorbing the words on the page, lost as she was with what she'd just admitted to a certain tall, dark, snarky vampire. _'God, you've gone and done it now, Swan,'_ her inner voice ranted. _'You're never gonna learn, are you?'_

She frowned. "This is the last time, I _swear_," she muttered while turning the page. Eddie raised his head, cocking it to the side as he eyed her. With a sardonic smile, she patted his head. "Don't mind me, Ed. I'm just this side of crazy and talking to myself."

With a put out whine, he chuffed, settled back down and closed his eyes, one ear twitching as her fingers carded the fur of his neck.

Minutes later, Damon poked his head in. "I have some errands to run. Gonna go grab the rest of my stuff from the boarding house. I'll be back in a while."

She waved a hand and heard the front door close a moment later, breathing out the tension in her body as she gave up the pretense of reading and set the book aside.

Placing her feet on the floor, she leaned forward and held her head in her hands, finally allowing herself a moment of panic and disbelief.

He hadn't _responded_…and then he'd left. What was she to make of _that_?

The terrified, gun-shy girl trapped inside her cringed to even speculate, while her recently discovered, more mature, rational mind reasoned that she'd just dropped the proverbial bomb in his lap and he simply needed time to wrap his head around it.

She heaved a sigh and sat back, both hands running through her hair as she decided to mentally bitch-slap her insecure self while soldiering on with all the confidence she could muster. "In for a penny, in for a pound…" she muttered.

She'd just stood to go toss the empty blood bag in the trash when a knock sounded at the front door causing Eddie to shoot from the couch, his hackles raised and teeth bare in a growl. She frowned and muttered, "Well, that's not good," on her way to answer it.

Pulling open the door, she soon saw why the dog was so pissy about their visitor. "Edward," she muttered flatly. "Why are you here? We had a deal and I still have a couple of days."

Her eyes widened as his golden ones went flat-black with fury. "What have you _done_?!" he hissed as his large hands shot up to cup her head.

She scowled, dropped the empty blood bag and grabbed his ice-cold wrists. "Get your hands off me!"

Those black eyes narrowed to slits. "I don't think I will."

She didn't even have time to gasp as she felt a quick twist and heard a sharp crack, and for the second time in her life, her world went black with temporary death.

**Your thoughts?**

**Please review.**

**'Till next time, ~Spudz**


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot and any original characters therein. No copyright infringement intended.

A/N: This chapter is short and for that, you have my apologies. I wouldn't normally post such a brief chapter, but the next few days are going to be hectic and I kind of left things on a cliff, so this is my offering until I can get more typed up. I hope you find it enjoyable. Leave a review if you do, yeah? Love and light, ~Spudz

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_Previously:_

_She didn't even have time to gasp as she felt a quick twist and heard a sharp crack and for the second time in her life, her world went black with temporary death._

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**Chapter 15**

Damon pulled up to the boarding house and surveyed the cars present with resignation. It seemed the gang was all here, which didn't bode well for a quick get-away and in his current mood, he knew—_just knew_—going in there was a bad idea.

But when had _that_ ever stopped him?

_Exactly…_

He smirked, popped the door open and got out just as the entry door opened to the wary face of his dear little brother. "Damon."

He arched a brow and made his way to the house. "Stefan."

"What are you doing here?" he asked, his tone guarded.

Damon stepped up to him, their faces now mere inches apart. "Why?" he asked, his head tilting. "Am I making you nervous?"

Stefan's eyes narrowed and Damon bit back a snort as his brother took a step back. "No, why would _you_ make me nervous?"

Damon tilted his head and looked skyward, tapping his chin with two fingers. "Well, gee, lemme think…"

With a snarl, he shoved Stefan up against the wall. "Are you _really_ gonna play the innocent, Stefan? _Really?_ You killed Ric! Or did you think I hadn't found out yet?" His hand closed around Stefan's neck, tightening gradually. Still, Stefan managed to choke out an answer as he struggled. "I didn't mean to kill him. It was an accident." He finally shoved Damon off and rubbed his neck.

Damon's lip curled. "_Sure_ it was. You _always_ carry a white oak stake around with you these days… You know, just for shits and grins." He grabbed Stefan by the neck and shoved him again. "Sell that shit somewhere else. I'm not buying."

"You gonna kill me now? Is that it?" Stefan rasped and Damon grit his teeth while squeezing tighter before slamming him to the wall with a disgusted growl as the other occupants of the house gathered behind him. He could do it, but there was still a part that was hesitating. The asshole was his brother after all, but that excuse was wearing mighty thin, and he was tempted...so tempted...

"Damon? Please…don't."

He shut his eyes as her voice and scent penetrated his rage, hating that she was still able to get to him so easily. Harnessing that disgust, he grabbed Stefan's head and quickly snapped his neck, leaving him to slide down the wall in a heap as he strode into the house. "Stay out of my way," he growled as he shoved past Bonnie, Caroline and Jeremy who hadn't moved fast enough.

"You're just gonna leave him there?"

He turned at the foot of the stairs, his glare glacial despite his inner turmoil. "Yes, Elena, I'm just gonna leave him there," he sneered. "He's lucky I didn't stake him, so don't push me."

"He didn't _mean_ to kill Alaric!"

He shook his head and smirked bitterly. "Of course not. Your precious St. Stefan would never _dream_ of doing something so dark, _would_ he?"

She scowled, her hands clenched at her sides as she stepped toward him. "He wouldn't! He's _nothing_ like you, Damon."

He searched her eyes for a long moment as something monumental shifted inside him. "No…he isn't, is he?" he murmured. "And you know what? Now that I really think about it, I'm good with that."

Turning away from the judgement and loathing in her eyes, he climbed the stairs, set on getting the last of his things and getting the hell out of there.

Unfortunately, Elena followed and he glanced askance while loading a duffel bag with his clothes and books. When she simply stood there watching, he faced her. "Something you need?"

She looked conflicted and puzzled, a frown tugging at the corners of her lips. "I—I don't know. It's hard to put into words…but even though I hate you, I feel…drawn to you for some reason, like there's something missing, something having to do with you." She shook her head, her gaze darting away for a moment before meeting his again. "Like there's something between us, but whatever it is is just out of reach."

He cocked a brow. "You _really_ wanna know?"

Her brow creased, but she gave him a slow nod.

"All right then, I'll tell you. We loved each other, Elena. You chose me over my brother and we were happy, but when you and everyone else thought I was gone for good you went to Alaric and had him compel you to forget." She looked startled at that and he hung his head for a moment before pinning her with a frosty gaze. "I guess I wasn't worth grieving over for long, eh Sunshine?"

Her frown deepened, and she lifted her chin. "That _can't_ be. Alaric's dead so I would remember if any of that was true."

He scoffed. "You can thank Bonnie for that, from what I've been told. She insisted on performing a ritual to tie your memories to your diary. You won't remember shit apparently, until you read it."

Her eyes widened. "Alaric has it. I remember giving it to him, but not the reason behind it."

He smirked. "_Had_. He _had_ it. He's dead, remember? Stefan _slipped_ with the white oak stake…? Oops, golly jeepers, didn't mean to do that…? Ringing any bells? Then he proceeded to tear the hell outta Ric's office looking for a certain something."

"Does he have it?"

Damon crossed his arms over his chest. "Nope, he didn't find it."

Her eyes narrowed. "You're looking smug. You have it, don't you?"

He studied her for a moment. This was his chance, if ever there was one. He could take her back to Bella's, let her read the diary, and resume his life with the woman he loved.

_Except…_

The silence stretched and he frowned as he struggled with the sudden conflict raging inside him. This was a _simple_ resolution, damn it. Stefan was out of the way for the time being. Elena was right here in front of him, actually listening and waiting on an answer. He had the diary—the key to reversing the whole cluster-fuck of a situation…

So what was the problem?

There shouldn't be one.

_Except…_

"Damon?"

His gaze snapped up from where he'd been staring at the floor and he looked—_really looked_—at her…

…and somehow found her utterly lacking, especially when he looked back on the entirety of their relationship.

Had it _ever_ been genuine? Or had he simply wanted it _so_ badly, he'd made it into something it _never_ was?

Her brows inched up. "Damon? Do you have it, or not?!"

Memories of deep brown eyes, gentle hands on his face and earnest, heart-felt words—_'I love and value you…'_—flashed through his mind and he smiled wistfully before meeting Elena's puzzled, curious gaze.

"Nope, I don't have a clue where the damn thing is."

Her mouth slowly dropped open and she stood, frozen, as he zipped the duffel bag, shouldered it, and strode past with an absent wave over his shoulder. "See you, Sunshine. Have yourself a nice life."

She was still gazing down from the top of the stairs, feeling a desolate, longing ache where her heart was beating, as the front door closed behind him.

**Your thoughts?**

**Please review.**

**'Till next time, ~Spudz**


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot and any original characters therein. No copyright infringement intended.

A/N: I'm back sooner than I thought and cruising on a brand new Mac! Woot! It's heaven. Thanks and love to all who review. Hope you continue to enjoy the story! Love and light, ~Spudz

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**Chapter 16**

Damon pulled in and parked at Bella's mumbling, "What the hell?" as Eddie bounded up to his car, caked in mud and burrs. He'd never seen the dog in such bad shape and he knew Iz would be pissed when she saw him.

Leaving the bags of groceries he'd just bought to make her a special dinner on the passenger seat, he got out and eyed the dog who eyed him right back before barking. He raised a brow. "Sorry mutt, I don't speak Lassie, but we better clean you up before Iz sees you."

Patting his thigh, he led the dog around the back where he knew Bella kept the grooming tools in a small cabinet next to the hose she used for bathing him.

After a few quick passes with the brush to get most of the burrs off, he hosed the mud off the dog and stood back to let him shake off the excess water before grabbing a towel to finish drying him. "You're lucky I love your mother," he grumbled to the dog who cocked his head and barked. "Just what the hell did you chase to get into such a mess, anyway?" Eddie cocked his head and whined and Damon smirked as he knelt. "I'm talking to a dog…jesus…"

He picked off the last few burrs by hand, ran the brush over his drying coat one more time and coiled the hose back up as Eddie ran around, rubbing himself in the sweet, plush grass of the back yard. "Now I need a shower," he mumbled, his lip curled at the smell of wet dog that clung to him. Patting his thigh, he whistled and walked back around front to get the groceries from the car, Eddie trailing after him.

As he approached the front door, one hand weighed down with bags as he dug his key from his pocket, he caught a very distinct scent and bit back a growl. It was the scent of a cold one, and not just any cold one, but that of Iz's ex-crush. He glanced at the dog, his eyes narrowed. "Is that what you went after?" He smirked. "Chasing the asshole ex away, were you?" Eddie barked and wagged his tail and Damon smirked. "Good boy, I approve. Tonight, you feast on steak my friend."

He tried the handle and it wasn't locked so he shouldered open the door, stepped aside to let the dog in and kicked it closed while tossing his keys on the low table.

"Iz! I'm home. The damn dog was a mess when I got here. I think he may have chased your ex when he left." he said with a snicker while walking into the kitchen to set the grocery bags on the counter. "I had to hose him off before letting him in, so I just want it known, you owe me, baby girl. I'll be _sure_ to collect later." He flipped on the tap and washed his hands. "Iz! Are you even hearing me?" He turned off the water, frowning as he ripped off a paper towel and dried his hands while listening intently. His frown deepened when he heard nothing but the wet thudding heart and breathing of the dog.

With narrowed eyes, he walked back to the entry way and looked around, his skin prickling as alarm set in when he finally noticed the empty blood bag laying on the floor under the table they kept their keys on. He squatted and picked it up as Eddie began to whine and scratch at the door.

Shooting to his feet, he threw the empty bag away and began to search each room while calling out her name. By the time he'd searched the entire house, his eyes were dark with burning rage.

He knew she hadn't gone anywhere voluntarily—her truck was still here, her phone was on the table with her keys, and the house was open, not to mention Eddie had been out and there was _no way_ she'd just leave him to roam on his own.

No, something had happened and he knew, from the fresh scent he'd picked up, it had something to do with her ex. "That fucker…" he cursed while heading for the front door. "Your sparkly ass is mine when I find you…"

Tracking the scent trail away from the house and through increasingly rough overgrowth, he stifled a growl as he finally broke through the trees and brambles at the side of a back road where a car had been parked. It was here the scent trail ended. "Fuck!" he spat as he paced around, hands on hips and head hung as he stared at footprints and fresh tire tracks, all the while cursing mentally that the asshole was smart enough to use a car to get away after all.

With one last muttered curse, he took off at a dead run back the way he came. He had a lot of shit to do if he was gonna find her and he was determined to find her. She was _his_—he loved her, and there was no way he was gonna lose her now. Not to some sparkly-assed pussy who didn't know how to treat her when he had the chance.

When he got back to the house, he rushed up the stairs to shower and change since he was covered in the same mud and burrs that had been all over the dog.

_The dog…_

_'Shit…what the hell am I gonna do with the dog?'_ He couldn't take him with him. He needed to be able to move quickly and act on things at a moments notice, and there was no way to do that while caring for an eighty pound dog. Problem was, his only real friend—one he could ask favors of—was now dead, thanks to his pain-in-the-ass brother…

"Stefan…" he growled out while quickly dressing in fresh clothes. As he sat on the bed to lace on some boots, his eyes skimmed over the thrice-damned diary sitting on his dresser and an idea began to form. "Fucker owes me…he better do this…" he muttered while standing and grabbing the diary. He held it for a moment, flipping the pages with a quiet scoff and a muttered "Whatever" before heading downstairs.

Once there, he took a minute to put away the groceries, grabbed Eddie's leash and snapped it on the dog's collar, and led him out to his car after locking up the house.

"Hop in mutt," he urged while holding the passenger door. The dog, thankfully, didn't protest and sat in the seat happily as Damon slid in behind the wheel, started the car and pulled out. "Don't drool on my seat," he said while smoothly accelerating.

It didn't take him long to get to the boarding house at the speed he'd traveled and he grabbed the diary, tucking it inside his jacket before hopping out to get the dog.

Without knocking, he let himself in and went right to the living room where he knew everyone would be. Sure enough, as he entered, there was his brother, sitting on the couch, head in hands as Elena rubbed his back, a sympathetic look on her face.

He rolled his eyes. "Just give him some blood and he'll be fine," he said, startling everyone in the room. Elena scowled and stood to face him.

"Leave him alone, Damon. You've done enough."

"So noble…" he muttered.

Stefan merely groaned. "What are you doing here, Damon? Don't tell me you changed your mind and came to finish the job."

"Nope. I came to speak to you though, so if we could have a moment, kiddies…?" he said as he looked at everyone present with a raised brow.

Stefan sighed and nodded, waving them off. "Go ahead, guys. I'll be fine."

Elena shot him one last glare before following everyone into the kitchen while Damon smirked and walked to the sideboard to pour a drink, Eddie trailing faithfully beside him.

Stefan leaned back on the couch, raising a brow while giving the dog a pointed look. "What's up with bringing the dog? It's your girlfriend's, right?" he asked with a wince while rubbing the back of his neck.

Damon took a drink, smirking behind the rim as he answered. "Eddie's his own man, but yeah, he lives with me and Iz. He's actually the reason I'm here."

Stefan looked baffled. "The dog?"

"Yeah. I have some shit to do, and won't be around to take care of him. That's where you come in."

Stefan rolled his eyes. "You snapped my neck. Why should I do you any favors?"

Damon sneered. "Maybe because you should be grateful I didn't stake you for killing my friend, but I figured you'd feel that way so I brought a little bargaining chip." He pulled out the diary and watched as Stefan's eyes widened before narrowing to slits. "Do I have your attention now, little brother?"

"I'm listening," Stefan grumbled and Damon smiled bitterly.

"I thought you might. So, you up for dog-sitting for however long my little errand takes?" He waggled the diary with raised brows and Stefan gave him a slow nod.

"I guess."

"Ah, there's that brotherly love and enthusiasm I'm used to." He knocked back the rest of his drink, set the glass aside and handed Stefan the diary and Eddie's leash. "He eats the expensive shit from that specialty pet shop in town and likes a bit of steak every now and then. He goes out four times a day, but stays inside the rest of the time. He appreciates a nice rug or cushion to sleep on too. Other than that, he's pretty easy to live with." He began walking to the door, but paused. "Oh, he better be in the same condition I'm leaving him in, otherwise you'll have Iz to answer to, and I'm pretty sure she doesn't like you to begin with so mistreating Eddie would be a very bad idea."

Stefan shook his head while staring at the diary. "I just…I can't believe you're trading _this_"—he brandished the diary—"for dog-sitting services."

Damon grinned. "Priorities, little brother. We all have them and that's how far down my list Elena's fallen."

With that, he walked out, got in his car and began his search.

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XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

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Two hours, and what seemed like every hotel in town later, he slid in behind the wheel, his teeth grinding in frustration. The cold ones had been at this hotel, and had just checked out earlier. He was able to get the credit card information though, so he started up the car and headed back home to see if he could trace the card to a valid address.

Letting himself in, he ignored the ache he felt at her absence and went to the fridge to get a bag of blood which he heated for a few seconds in the microwave before heading to the study.

With a sigh, he opened the laptop, letting it boot while absently sucking down the blood as he settled into Bella's cushy office chair.

Tossing the empty bag in the trash, he typed in the information he had and began to search, printing out a page every now and then when he found info he would need to travel to check out.

There were some things he couldn't chance by making phone calls though—things like contacting a certain lawyer by the name of J. Jenks in Seattle, WA.

Nope, he'd confront people like him face to face and without warning so he could compel them if need be.

After checking the recent activity log on the card, he cursed when he saw the card had been cancelled after being charged for one last fill-up at a gas station just outside of Mystic Falls, effectively drying up the last, best trail he could follow. He leaned back, his fingers laced as he rested his hands on top of his head. "Looks like I'm heading to Washington," he muttered while closing his eyes. "Speak to me, Iz…where are you baby?"

He nearly fell out of the chair when her voice ghosted through his mind. "Damon? Please tell me you can hear me!"

"Iz?!" he thought frantically. "Is it really you?!"

"Yes," she answered, her voice weak but there. "He got me, Damon. Edward... He snapped my neck. I'm awake now but something's wrong… I'm so weak…"

He shot up straight in the chair, his hands clenched. "Look around, Iz. Is there any vervain there, or has he made you drink anything?"

There was a pause and he tapped his fingers on the desk while waiting. "No, I don't see anything and I haven't drank anything either, but my arm is sore, like it gets after you get a shot…"

Damon hissed and rubbed his brow. "Can you tell me where you are, baby? Anything look familiar?"

"No, nothing familiar. I can tell it's a hotel room, but that's it. Ah! Wait…it's a Staybridge, whatever that is. Seems like it has bedrooms, like a suite. Shit, he's coming! He must've heard me moving around. Oh jesus, I was right! He has a fucking syringe!"

Damon's eyes squeezed shut. "Can you fight him, Iz?"

"I'm trying…too weak…god, I hate him!"

"I know, baby. I know. Don't give up, Iz. I'm looking for you and I'll find you. Stay strong for me."

"I'll…try…it burns…"

He swallowed a lump in his throat. "I know, Iz. I'm so sorry. I never should've left."

…not your fault," she whispered into his mind. "Don't blame you…"

"I love you, Iz and I'll find you."

"Love you…" she whispered. "So weak…he…it seems like we're leaving…find me."

He slammed a hand on the desk. "I promise, baby, just _don't_ give up. Fight him. Don't let him hurt you. Tell him he's gonna wish for death if he hurts you, I swear it."

"'Kay," she slurred "…gotta…sleep now…"

"Iz…? Bella?!" he called out mentally but there was no answer. She was gone for now. "God damn it!" he growled while slamming his fist on the desk before dropping his head in his hands. He wanted a drink in the worst way, but, as Iz was always quick to point out, it wouldn't solve a thing.

With a sigh, he went back to typing, doing a quick search for all the Staybridge hotels within a hundred mile radius. He knew the asshole was traveling north, so that narrowed it down a bit. When he pulled up the information, he printed it out, circled the likely candidates in pen, packed up the laptop and papers and headed out to his car. He'd done all he could from here and now it was road-trip time.

Time to find his little vampy-witch—and he _would_ find her, even if he had to tear apart the world to do it.

**Your thoughts?**

**Please review.**

**'Till next time, ~Spudz**


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